True Realitites
by HighStormCommanderHanji
Summary: Day in and Day out, we live on knowing what we believe to be our reality, However, the Universe is much more vast than meets the eye, showing us what really are our true realities. Go on a journey to reclaim what was thought to be lost, and claim what is yet to be discovered. Mostly non-canon, following OC instead of main party. World-Crosser OC.
1. Intro

My last day on Earth began just like any other would, leaving me no major worries as I rose from my bed. My home was far from extravagant, a simple town, mostly quiet and never in any real state of worry regarding any particular matter. Life was, for the most part, easy. I had stunning grades; I never needed to study, and spent most of my time on a computer, wasting the days away looking at a screen. Now, mind you, I loved every minute of it, as games and anime were as close to moral educators as my parents were, and taught me many lessons that I still have with me today.

My home life was a bit more difficult to deal with. My Dad died two years ago, my mom was emotionally scarred, and my sisters worked. I solved a lot of my own problems, and from that I learned to be analytical about my life. Not much really changed, day in and day out, so I was able to discern oddities in my daily routine, the one I had known for all of my life. I saw life as data, to be examined and not to be experienced, and that was how I dealt with my emotions. If I hadn't, I would have died a long time ago. This was how I kept my feelings from destroying my logical processes. Even when I tried to be sentimental, I always regressed back into my old, callous mindset. It wasn't until one New Years that someone was able to break me away from this. This was the day I met the man who broke me from my routine.

This was the day I met Ozpin.

My mom and sisters had gone out to my Grandfather's for a New Year's party, allowing me to stay home and do what I did every other day, just for a longer time. I heard a door open from downstairs and assumed that they simply came home early. I pulled off my headset and went downstairs, hoping to talk with them for a while before going back to my game. However, no one was there except for a lone man. I could not recognize him at all and instantly labeled him a robber. It was logical, considering I was alone on New Year's Eve, everyone else gone. It was a robber's dream. I was not the most intimidating person, so I guess I looked easy to overpower.

With all of my speed, I sprinted back to my room and grabbed my hatchet from my dresser, removing its cover, and beginning to sprinting back down the stairs. However, before I could even leave the room, the man was in my doorway, now with his face fully visible. He was young, younger than I had expected. Despite his grey, messy hair, his skin was akin to that of a 30 year old. His glasses were shaded some color I couldn't make out, and his eyes a cocoa brown. He wore some kind of green suit and a scarf, with dress shoes and pants. All in all the worst dressed robber I could have imagined. Regardless, his ability to catch up to me was impressive, and it caused me to hold my position at the far end of my room. If he could get to me that fast, he could have crossed my small living space in an instant. For the moment, I was backed into a corner.

It would seem that running was not an option. That left either fighting him or talking him down. From the unfeeling stare he was giving me, I could tell he had some kind of fighting experience. I saw a man who was a part of many fights, and knew perfectly how to take me down. I wasn't willing to test his prowess with my little hatchet, so that only left one plan…

"So, you gonna tell me why you're in my house, or do I have to call the cops on you?"

"Goodness, I would hope we could keep this civil. I mean you no harm, you see, I simply wanted to talk. I would assume that being so close to a city you wouldn't just open the door for someone looking like me, so I took a more direct approach, and entered in a more discrete fashion. Also, I'd have you know it was quite difficult to get you alone, I had to wait for the right moment."

"Hmph. Sounds like stalking, as well as breaking and entering to me. Either way you're in the wrong here, and forgive me if I'm not the most willing to talk with someone who just chased me around the house without saying so much as one word beforehand. Standing at the door like a creep didn't buy you many points either pal." I knew he was trying to get me to lower my guard, con me into something, and I wasn't falling for it. It wasn't until now did I notice that he was leaning on a cane, which he had previously hidden.

"Well yes," he started, "I realize that this was not the most elegant of entrances, but my reason for contacting you in such a manner is dire. I am sure by now that you have realized who I am, have you not?"

I really had no clue who this guy was, and the fact that he knew me was even more a part of the creepiness. Sure, there was a nagging sensation in the back of my mind that just _maybe _I knew who he was, but even then it didn't matter. All that did matter was why he was in my house without my permission.

"Sorry, but I don't seem to remember you just, y'know, hanging around every now and again, must've slipped my memory."

"Come now, surely you must have some kind of an idea of who I am? I mean you see me all the time, from what my sources tell me."

"Alright I'm done playing games with you. Either you tell me who you are or I get to try out my new hatchet on you, your choice."

He lifted one of his eyebrows, curiously regarding my statement, but the remainder of his face remained the same stoic poker face it had been for this whole interaction.

"It would seem that in order to avoid a tragic accident, I need some proof of identity. Very well, I shall oblige you." He took a step into the room, prompting me to raise my weapon a little higher. However, he did nothing but pull out a small mug. He raised the mug to his lips, sipping on some hot liquid that I was unsure about, and then proceeded to speak.

"_I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills-and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose-direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step__."_

After his speech, he lowered his mug, and once again looked in my direction. He paused for a moment, allowing me to process what he had just said.

"Do you require more, or will that suffice for the moment?"

There was no doubt about it now. I knew this man. None other than him could have delivered that group of words. The voice, the tone, everything matched. His outfit was a carbon copy of what it had been when he was in school. Hell, no one but him would take a coffee mug into a break and enter mission. I was standing in the presence of Professor Goddamn Ozpin.

"You have to be fucking kidding me. You are Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. So you're saying that, just like that, you came out of A DAMNED WEBSHOW and now, POOF, just like that, show up here, for no apparent reason? Forgive me if I think this sounds a little bit too much like some kind of poorly written Fan Fiction. If you said this was some New Year's prank by the president, I would be more inclined to believe you."

"While I would advise curbing your tongue around others, yes, what you said is logical. In this world, Remnant is something that appears to be pure imagination, the whim of some man miles from here. I've heard that we are quite popular in the standings as well. But make no mistake; we are no one's pawns. Remnant is as much of a reality as this world is, simply separate from yours. We live and breathe, think and choose the same as you and your family. There simply exists a barrier between the two realities, one that, until recently, remained unbroken by either side."

None of this was making any kind of sense. People don't just appear from animations into real life, it just didn't add up. Two realities sounded like a fantasy to me. Something was missing here, and before anything else happened I needed to figure out what was happening.

"Before we talk about anything else, I need some answers here, _a lot _of answers. Will you oblige to answer my questions?"

"It would be only logical. I do not expect you to understand without having all of the facts. However, I do think we should find a place more suitable to talking. Forgive me, but your room is much too hot for my tastes." I had not noticed until now that he was loosening his scarf, while swat beaded on his face. I guess that I was simply used to being hot and had not noticed this.

"Oh! Sorry professor. We'll go downstairs. By the way, you need more coffee? I think your mug needs a warm-up." I mean, I did try to threaten him into leaving with a hatchet in my hand; the least I could do was offer the man some coffee before I interrogated him.

"No, I'll be fine. This mug has lasted me for the whole day, and I won't need another until tomorrow."

Note to self, Ozpin has access to the coffee of the Gods.

When we returned to our initial meeting place in the kitchen, I remembered to draw the blinds, for fear of our neighbors seeing me talking with a questionable older man alone.

"Alright, question number one; how in the bloody he- … How on Earth did you get here? From Remnant, that is? You spoke about a barrier that needed to be crossed. How did you break it?"

"That is the one thing I cannot disclose to you. It is the product of our most heavily funded research, and I have been sworn under oath not to disclose details. My apologies. However, I can answer as to how I was able to find your home, and by direct relation, how I came to know about you."

"That was my next question, proceed as you will."

"Two years ago, I spotted someone out in the Emerald Forest by Beacon, during the initiation of our students of that year. He was a man without an aura, or a weapon, and looked like death itself. I immediately went over to him, hoping to be of aid. My assumptions were correct about his physical state, as he had suffered severe trauma to his head, although I could not see any external wounds. I called for an airship, and he was placed into Beacon's hospital care. The entire time he was transported, he never spoke more than a few sentences, other than 'Where am I?', and 'Where is my family?' among other things. He then went into a comatose state for the next two months. Every day I checked on his status, but he never changed once, always the same. As time went on I began to look desperately for an answer to his situation, fearing he might never recover. A few weeks before he woke up, I called for a specialized medic proficient in dust techniques to try to aide him, but even they could not relieve him of the coma and I feared the worst. Had he not awoken, the staff would have declared him brain-dead, and cut his life support. I am eternally grateful it did not come to that. When he first opened his eyes, I saw a certain fear in them, one of a man who lost everything. I imagined that based on his condition, that he had no clue where he was, who was near him, or what had happened. But, he surprised me, in a way I would not have expected. When I told him my name, he knew everything about where he was, and who he was speaking to. He had a near-unnatural knowledge of Beacon, and the realm itself. He even knew a few of my students, despite the fact that I had never seen him in their presence. He was a man I was… very curious about."

"That sounds a lot like my Dad. Old as he was, the day I showed him Remnant he was obsessed. He always talked to me about it, not to mention the fact that he was your biggest fan out of anyone I knew." He had never really understood anything I did, except for RWBY. It was the single thing of my technologically supplemented lifestyle that he absolutely loved.

"Well, the reason it sounds a lot like him is because it _was_ him. Your father had washed up in Remnant, all alone and deeply pained."

"…Cut the jokes Ozpin, my Dad died two years ago, from a brain aneurysm and lack of oxygen. Do you realize how many laws of nature that violates?"

"I do, because none of them were violated that night. On Earth, Lawrence died on February 8th, 2013. But, that was the day he was taken to Remnant as well. The night your father died, his soul was copied and placed into our world. Something demanded that he live, and that was the result."

The sheer logical mess that was placed before me was absolutely destroying any ability to reason that I may have had moments before. I had accepted his death months after he died, and all this served to do was raise more questions, ones to which I thought I had the answer figured out.

Right now, however, all I could do was battle the tears in my eyes and turn to face Ozpin and his poker face.

"Do you really dare to stand there and tell me that the man I saw laid into the ground two years ago with my own eyes just magically materialized into existence in another world, just like that? Things that hopeful are not reality; you of all people know that. Just like Summer won't simply come back into existence, my father won't be snapped into a world far from here. I have accepted that, so why can't you? Why do you come here and torment me beyond what I already-…"

"Enough! I know she is gone, but I have seen him with my own eyes. He told me himself that he was not of my world. Like it or not your father lives on, simply beyond your reach. I will not allow you to sit there and act in such a cynical and ungrateful way! I thought you would be rejoicing, knowing that you would be able to have another talk with the person you loved most! Instead, all I have seen from you is plain ignorance. You have accepted that I am here, standing before you, so why not go a step further?!"

"I…I do not mean to show ignorance Ozpin. But it just seems to too bloody good to be true, so forgive me if I have my doubts." I felt bad for dragging Summer, Ruby's mother into this, but I felt it would be the only way Ozpin would snap off of the silly story. Now, I didn't know what to believe, having achieved nothing from my assault on him.

"I also apologize. It was no right of mine to lecture you on the grief we both know too well. However, you must believe me when I say that Lawrence lives, because he was the one who sent me here in the first place."

"If what you say is true, can you show me proof that he did? Anything at all, and I will promise to believe you, no further doubts. I just need to know… I need to know that he really didn't leave us." I was ready to break down in front of him, this whole conversations bringing me to the edge of my mental fortitude. However, I knew that to do such a thing would be childish and look rather bad. But before I could, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Ozpin, for the first time that evening, smiling.

"You think I, of all people, would come to you without proof?" He searched in his pocket for his scroll, and searched in it until he found what he was looking for.

"Watch this; it explains everything I have just said to you." While he handed me his scroll, I tapped it to begin what appeared to be a video. All I could think now was 'I hope he's right.'

As the video began, the camera shook as it focused on the target of the video, a man in a hospital bed, with various wrapping around his head and an IV plugged into his arm. I would have expected Remnant to have different medical procedures from us, but I accepted it nonetheless. The man on the bed was wearing a set of glasses, thickly rimmed and large, similar to those that my Dad wore. His hair was shaved off, most likely as a result of some procedure to operate on his brain. The only indicator left to his identity would be his voice. I waited, but nothing happened until I heard Ozpin's voice.

"You know this thing is on, right?" The man on the bed simply nodded, then mumbled something along the lines of "Cheeky Bastard", apparently unknown to the recorder.

"Hey there, little man, it's me, your Dad… I know this is a little spooky, seeing me breathing and all. I don't know when Ozpin is showing you this, but whether it's a week or a decade after I'm gone, I am sure that you are still the smart little bugger you were when I… left I guess. I wonder if you fit any of my suits yet... Well, things like that can wait, I guess. What matters now is that I'm alive, by some miracle. People here probably know a thing or two that we don't back home. The reason I'm sending this with Ozpin is because I know that you won't just take his word for it that I'm here." He took a breath, waiting, seemingly choosing his words before he spoke.

"I know you Scott, and things like this won't come easily to you. But I need you to bear with me, and believe whatever he tells you. On my honor as your father, I vouch for whatever he says. Now, after this Ozpin will tell you something that will be hard for you to digest. Even more so that the fact that I'm somehow alive. I need you to trust him, and go with it. No matter what you feel, or think, I am asking you to ignore it and do what he asks. Please, do that for me. Now, my meds are starting to kick in, and I'm not sure if I will be awake much longer. Be good, little man, and know that even though I'm here, far away and in some hospital bed, I still love you. And, if you feel like hitting me when you get here, I won't blame- Aw dammit; I spoiled the whole thing didn't I?"

And just like that the recording ended.

"I don't fucking believe it HE'S ALIVE HOLY SHIT!" Screw Ozpin and his manners, I was jumping for joy, feeling a happiness I hadn't felt in a long time. I could tell him all the things I wanted to tell him two years ago, to relieve the guilt I had felt from not being able to say goodbye. It was all possible now. The only thing is…

"Professor, how in the Sam hill am I getting to Remnant? That seems to be a rather large question here."

"That was what I was going to explain when the video finished. That was also what your father identified as difficult information. The reason behind this is that there are certain limitations to inter-universal travels." I had the feeling that I wasn't going to like these "limits" that he was talking about. Nothing is ever good when it's limited.

"The only reason I was able to enter this Universe unchanged was because my Aura was strong enough to resist the pulls of space on my being. If I had not been protected by my Aura, I would have been severely different from the Ozpin you know me as. Now, should I decide to return, I can simply flare my aura and the pull of Remnant will be strong enough to bring me back. The pull of another world identifying something that is its own is what will allow me to return. However, to transport two people, as your father nearly _ordered_ me to do, I must use my aura in a way that the force will be strong enough to pull us both back."

"Wait a minute, what about the rest of my family? Don't they get to come and see him too? That would be just unfair to them!"

Ozpin suddenly lost his poker face and began to frown a little. He had known from the start then, what was the ultimate coast of this transaction.

"I am sorry, but this is how it must be. This is what your father feared you resisting. He wants you to come with me first. Right now, we are uncertain whether or not we will be able to pull this off again, but he has hopes that one day you all will be able to be together again. However, for now, only you are able to go. I believe this is simple because he believes you to be the only one in the family capable of surviving in Remnant without any difficulty."

This is just unfair. Why me, why do I take privilege to see him, and no one else? I pushed the doubts aside and asked a more glaring question I had.

"You said the pulls of space would distort you without your aura. What about my Dad, what happened in his case?"

"We are very curious as to his abilities. It would seem that in his last breaths, his hidden aura activated, pulling his mind and soul to Remnant, and using his new aura to protect him. When he arrived, his mind used its recorded image of its body to create a new body for your father. However, this memory included his Aneurism, which is why he was in such a state when I found him. I did not realize that others outside of Remnant could have Auras until I found him. That is why we kept such a close eye on him when he told us about his origin."

"Then… What about me? What will happen when we go to Remnant? I don't have an aura, and trying to find it now would be too much of a strain on your stamina." I thought back to when Pyrrha had activated Jaunne's. She looked really tired afterwards, and I wasn't willing to risk Ozpin's ability to return.

"That is the second variable in this equation, my friend. Aside from your willingness to leave this world, there persists a possible mutation to your body and mind that will be irreparable. It could be anything from a change in Sex to a change in height, as well as an absence of or addition to memories. There is literally nothing that could not be affected by this travel. If I had enough strength to protect you as well I would, but I am unsure as to whether or not I could return, and there is a strict time limit that I may persist in this world. In the next 30 minutes, you must decide whether to stay or not. While the choice is entirely yours, your father will be very disappointed if you were to decline. He told me as such, anyways."

This was a lot to consider in such a short amount of time. Say that I decide to go. I would be forced to leave everything in this life, as well as my family, choosing to possibly never see them again, as well as throw away everything I had worked to achieve. While there is some hope that I could use my knowledge and skills in the new world, even they could be affected by the travel between universes. On the other hand, I remain and keep all of my memories and physical qualities, but most likely never get to see my father again. It was the path I was most prepared for, but least willing to accept. This was a difficult choice, and I, of all people, was terrible with difficult choices. It would seem that I needed an outside opinion on this.

"Ozpin… What do you personally recommend? Someone like you, who has 'made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet', must certainly have an opinion on this, right?"

I saw a darkness pass behind his eyes as he contemplated my question. I momentarily regretted my speech upon seeing that darkness, for fear he would scold me for asking something so stupid. But the moment passed, and he heaved a heavy sigh and answered simply.

"You said it yourself, 'Just like Summer won't simply come back into existence, my father won't be snapped into a world far from here.' You have just had the impossible become a new reality. I believe that this is a priceless opportunity, do not let it go to waste. This is what I believe on the matter if you wanted to know.

"Then… That's all there is to it then. I'm going. Give me a minute to call my family, and I will be back." I began to walk up the stairs when I was called back by Ozpin.

"Are you completely sure about this? Everything you have ever known could possibly be taken from you, and you have made a very large choice in a small amount of time. I ask that you confirm this is what you want before I allow you to proceed. Do you accept the possible consequences of this travel, and the world that awaits you when we arrive?"

Wasting no time, I proceeded to run in front of him and offer a proud salute, and yelled at the top of my lungs, "SIR YES SIR!"

When his hearing had returned, Ozpin put on a subdued smile, and nodded lightly. At this motion, I sprinted up my stairs and proceeded to call everyone I thought mattered to me. My Mom, Sisters, Cousins, Uncles, Best Friends, anyone who I thought would miss me. I made sure they would all have one last conversation to remember me by, if I never saw them again.

After a good 15 minutes of calling, I returned to Ozpin, who was waiting patiently, sipping his seemingly never ending cup. I nodded to him, and he stood up on his cane, and stood in the middle of the room.

"Alright, we will begin. Stand next to me Scott, and put your hand on my cane, directly over mine." I obliged him, and soon we stood facing each other, hands on the cane, rather awkwardly not speaking.

"So, uh, what happens now?"

He looked into my eyes with one last pleading look, "Are you sure this is what you want? I will not accept later complaints if you agree now. This is your last chance to stay."

I held up my free hand and shook my head fervently at his attempts to sway me. "Enough of this, Professor. I have made my choice, I want to see him again, and nothing will stop me from achieving this. Get this show on the road so we can make that happen!"

He lost the pleading look, and instead replaced it with a proud smile, nodding and closing his eyes.

"Close your eyes and count to ten. On the tenth count, the process will begin. Do not open your eyes, no matter what you feel or what you hear. No matter what, keep them closed and your hand firmly on top of mine. Failure to do either of these things will result in you being lost to the rifts of Space and Time. So you understand this?"

"Yes, I understand. I will not fail you now, Old man."

"Old man is it? Well, we'll see who the old one is when we get there, won't we? You never know what could happen."

"Aye, we will see. Start it off, I'm getting antsy just standing here."

Ozpin then closed his eyes and relaxed his posture, including his grip on the cane. Only my hand kept it standing upright.

"Ten"

Nothing so far.

"Nine"

So far so good.

"Eight."

Still nothing.

"Seven"

Was it me, or was there a slight chill in the air all of a sudden?

"Six"

I'm feeling all tingly now. Was it my nerves or was it simply Ozpin's spell?

"Five"

I could see bright lights through my eyelids. So it really was Ozpin's doing.

"Four"

The light was growing more intense. I felt Ozpin's hand burn incredibly hot, but I resisted the urge to let go.

"Three"

The heat was now felt all over my body. I imagined the Professor looked something like Yang did when the Ursa had cut her hair. I had trouble transferring that image to someone as subdued as Ozpin, and in the end I decided to let it rest.

"Two"

Soon everything would change, I could feel it. The magic in the air was intense as the spell began to pick up power.

"One"

This was it, everything rested on this moment. It was all a matter of…

"Go"

And then I experienced the most agonizing pain of my life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well, so begins my new project. I hope everything in this prologue came across as clearly as I intended to. If you guys have questions about any particular thing, feel free to PM me and ask, an I'll answer as well as I can without spoiling in the end of the next Chapter. And for the record, I have no clue <strong>__**what ships I will be "promoting" in this so I am leaving that as undecided for now. Maybe in the later chapters **__**I will integrate that into the story. All I know is that they will ultimately be present.**_

_**Cheers guys, and welcome aboard!**_


	2. Chapter 1

Today would not have been a worse day even if I had to imagine it.

For one thing, being flown through a rift in the Universe was less surreal than you would expect. Some of the most extreme temperature changes I have ever felt and enough noise to make your ears bleed… profusely. By the first hour I had no idea how I wasn't dead yet, but all I could do was follow Ozpin's instructions to the letter and hope that wouldn't happen. I could still feel his hand underneath mine, so I focused as much as I could on that. I assumed that Ozpin was doing a little better than me, with his aura to protect him, but I couldn't figure out if he was feeling it the same way I was.

This went on for what felt like hours, maybe even a day or so. At one point, I lost my hearing altogether, and started getting numb around my lower body. I attempted to distract myself with some kind of mental tick, but whenever I tried to escape from the maelstrom of nothingness around me it simply pulled me back like a magnet. It was like the vast body of space was calling me toward it, wishing for me to be a part of it, body and mind. I would not listen to it, for I had a mission to complete, and Ozpin would not forgive me if I failed. While nothing physically touched me (to my knowledge) there was always a feeling of some kind of push coming from my head. It was something, or maybe nothing, pulling my head around and whipping it to and thro.

But in the end, I won.

After the eternity of nothing, I felt something solid hit my knees, the impact making them buckle. I went down towards the ground, still grabbing the cane, still closing my eyes, searching for something to verify what was going on. Something grabbed my hands, ripping them off of the cane, and throwing me onto the floor…

Wait, floor? When was there a floor? I don't remember there being anything solid under my feet until now…

*SLAM*

Forget the floor, there was now something sitting on top of me. I tried to lean forward, but that same something, like a rock, flew into my chest and pushed me back into the phantom floor beneath me. I wasn't quite sure what the hell was going on now, but all I could do was lay there, not hearing or seeing anything. I just hoped that I hadn't let go too early, and lost Ozpin on the way there. Maybe it was some space demon trying to kill me right now. Maybe I was just being prepared to be killed…

"Please… Don't hurt me. I want live, don't kill me!"

I doubt they understood English, but I had to try something. I wasn't about to just sit there and die without giving it a go first. Besides, even if I hadn't been able to hear the response, I guess they understood me. The weight on my body lifted itself, and I heaved a great breath of relief.

However, my ordeal was not over yet, as someone (or something) was slapping me silly, pulling me up by my collar. Well, seems like I got the bully demons, instead of the nice, tea party demons… Except the bully demons were trying to pry my eyelids open, pulling them apart despite my efforts to keep them closed.

Some of my hearing was coming back now, surprising me with the sudden cry of sound that invaded my silence.

"Please… We just want to help you. But we can't... If you don't…OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Holy hell, I was not only alive, but in the presence of a person! It was my lucky day. This meant that I had made it safely to Remnant, and the person currently beating the shit out of me wasn't some space demon hell-bent on raping my soul!

"Where… Where is the Professor? Where's Ozpin?" All I could muster was that little sentence, my vocal chords not fully able to function after the full-body trauma that had come beforehand.

"Have no fear, my friend, I'm right here. Although, in your current position you might want to open your eyes. We have arrived safely, but if you do not do something I fear Miss Xiao Long will blast you into pieces before you will be able to stand up."

I decided to trust his words and try my luck. After all, I was already here; nothing else could really go worse, right?

I slowly opened my eyes, only to be greeted by the flaming face of Yang Xiao Long, looking as though I had just punted a puppy across the schoolyard. There was clearly an element of hostility in her eyes as I stared into them, slowly coming to understand my situation.

Maybe I should say something so she doesn't want to punch me into Oblivion?

"Ummm… Hi?"

"Hi?! After making our room explode and barging in with a death grip on Ozpin, all you can say is HI?!"

She raised her available fist into the air, ready to slam down onto my head, and I instinctively raised my arms to block her, hoping, in vain of course, to negate some of the damage. What I hadn't expected, however, was a web of light to appear above my arms and completely block her smiting blow. After Yang had calmed down, she too looked in confused awe as the glyph above me faded into dust.

I head someone behind me clear their throat and, with some sympathetic undertones, whisper into my ear, "You can thank me later."

Weiss. She was the only one capable of producing those glyphs, and I certainly didn't bring them up. At least someone wasn't trying to kill me, for the meantime.

I took advantage of silence between subjects to examine the room I was currently in. It was small, about the size of my parents' room back home, but enough for a few people to live comfortably in. There were two horribly constructed bunk beds on either side of me, and a varying degree of posters adorning the walls. Behind me was a bookshelf, and directly above was an extremely frustrated Yang. Given the fact that two of the team members were here, I had to assume that we had crossed dimensions and landed in team RWBY's dorm room.

"Step one, can you please let go of me? I realize you must kind of, oh I don't know, want to kill me or something, but can that wait until a little bit later please?"

I just now noticed something off about myself. There was something horribly wrong with my voice. I don't remember it being so high, although, my hearing might not have been entirely returned, so I ignored it for the time being.

"Miss Xiao Long, I would also advise you to drop my charge. He is under my care, and he will mean you no harm, I assure you. I will discuss this with you later."

Yang simply closed her eyes and heaved a great sigh, extinguishing her flames and dropping me to the ground.

"Uh, sorry about that. We weren't exactly prepared for someone to… well, Teleport in our room with such a big explosion, so I kind of got a bit carried away with the disaster response…" I looked up at her, seeing her slightly blush, then slowly turn away and walk towards Ozpin on the other side of the room.

Now that took another look around, I noticed what she had meant by "explosion". There was a ring of blast marks where I was laying down, and the legs of the bunks nearby were heavily cracked. There were some little fires dotted around the room as well. It seems we caused quite a bit of collateral damage. I wonder if it was the same way when Ozpin materialized on earth. Either way, I was getting tired just thinking about it.

"Professor…. Is it perfectly alright if I just lay here a little bit and get my bearings? I don't feel too hot after that whole mess…" More precisely, I felt as though I was being fed through an easy bake oven head first.

"Take you time, there is no rush. The experience you just lived through was traumatic, at the very minimum, and I would not expect you to be up and about so quickly."

I managed as much of a nod a possible with my current strength, and then, as my eyes fluttered closed, whispered, "You're damn right it was traumatic."

* * *

><p>The next time I came to, I was lying down in a Hospital bed, similar to the one I had seen in Dad's video. There was a simple lamp on the shelf next to me, illuminating part of the room, and contrasting the darkness outside of my window.<p>

I tried to sit up, but it seemed I had no more strength that I did earlier, and simply slid back down onto my pillow, unable to remain upright. The IV in my arm slapped against my bed rail as I slammed backwards, and I felt bandages wrapped around my head, keeping a patch over my left eye in place.

I did not remember anything being wrong with my eye when we landed in the dorms, so I was curious as to why it was currently in a bandage. My other eye functioned normally, much to my relief. Being without eyesight would certainly been annoying.

I tested all of my limbs, looking for capability of moving with probing twitches and little movements, looking for signs of life. As far as I could tell, my feet were moving, but I could not feel anything beneath my stomach yet, likely a lingering effect from the numbness of the rift tunnel. My other limbs moved accordingly, reassuring myself of the fact that I did not appear to be paralyzed in any capacity. However I was too weak to move around very much, I could only wiggle my appendages slightly.

Instead of trying to get up, I took advantage of the quiet in the room and the lack of chaos to gather my thoughts, and possibly assess my situation more completely than I could have earlier.

Right now, I was likely in the hospital wing of Beacon, placed there by Ozpin or Yang, possibly Weiss. I hadn't seen Blake or Ruby in the room when I was in there, so I could assume they did not know about me yet. How much time had passed since I passed out, I could not say.

I was safely transported to Remnant, without anything major happening to me along the way… Hopefully. I would check out if anything happened to my body later when I was able to move around. I had a feeling I would need a mirror after coming out of something like that alive. Nothing that severe would fail to leave a mark on me. I would also need to ask Ozpin, when that bum decided to come around, where my Dad was. That was, of course, the whole point of me coming here in the first place.

There also existed, as I remembered Ozpin saying, a chance of mental addition or subtraction. I needed to mentally scan around and see if anything was added or removed from before I made the jump. I had a feeling this was going to take longer than I wanted to. But, I did have the whole night to sit and contemplate, so I figured that I might as well.

"Well, time to go to work."

So I rested my eyes, and I remembered.

* * *

><p>When I was done taking mental inventory, it seemed that Space travel had added quite a few things to my knowledge.<p>

Suddenly, I had an extended knowledge of knitting, had a vague memory of my sister kidnapping her ex-boyfriend that I didn't have before, and suddenly could play Tenor Saxophone, among other trivial things. The last one on the list I would need to take for a test run when I got the chance.

Curiously, I also had a mean craving for some type of meat. Any kind really. Maybe I just needed some protein to recuperate properly. I doubted they were able to provide me with any through an IV.

However, I had lost something in exchange for all of my fruitless gains. No matter how hard I tried, I could not remember the names of all of my favorite games back home. This was a little sad to me, knowing that I would not be able to reminisce about my favorite memories without feeling a loss of a name.

But, at least I had not forgotten something incredibly important, like the names of my sisters or something like that. It was kind of exciting to suddenly have knowledge of something you were clueless about before. It was, however, a completely different story forgetting something important.

"Yeah, their names are… Well Fuck me. This is going to suck more than I expected. When they get here they are going to _kill_ me."

I probably said that much louder than I needed to, as I heard the door open from the other end of the room, although a curtain blocked my view of the door itself.

I heard someone whisper from the doorway, sounding very much like Ozpin giving an order not to be disturbed. I was surprised I was able to hear so well, since the room was very large and his voice was very soft, almost inaudible. Maybe he was losing his edge after the travel himself. I couldn't imagine him being untouched himself. His aura was not dedicated to his protection on the return trip, instead being used to carry me with him. I then realized the personal risk he had taken to bring me here.

I heard a cane moving towards me, and soon the curtain flew open with the same badly dressed Headmaster from earlier standing there with his cup of coffee in hand.

"I'm glad to see you have recovered so quickly. I myself took a day or two to mend a few bruised ribs after that ordeal. If I had to have guessed when we arrived how long you would be out, I would have told you that by this time next week you would have been unconscious still. It seems that your body is well adapted for such heavy stress. This bodes well for your future here. You will need that tenacity later down the line."

"Tell me," I asked, "How long was I unconscious for?"

"Four days… Nearly five days now."

Ozpin didn't seem to be looking directly at me, instead looking _around_ me, like he was observing me instead of conversing with someone. After a moment he shook his head and looked into my eyes once more.

"You had me worried you know. I wasn't expecting you to collapse in team RWBY's room the way you did. If Miss Schnee had not calmed me down, I would have panicked and likely botched something bringing you here. I was fearful for your life.

I raised my eyebrow at this statement. "Seriously, you of all people panicking? You grow more unbelievable by the hour. After being caught in a raging vacuum for such a long time you start to get tired, I just wanted to sleep by the time we landed here. You had nothing to worry about, except maybe Yang destroying my pretty face."

"Well, I had not previously informed them that their dorm was our retuning point, so her overly zealous reaction was entirely my fault. I hope you do not blame her, she is a very caring individual, and a bit passionately unmoving at times."

"Don't worry about it. I know how she works, and I know she meant to simply help me, but got carried away. I don't get offended very easily, so I think I can let that pass. Not to mention I was not the most appealing in my choice of words either. I'll have to apologize to her later for embarrassing her."

He nodded at my answer, and took a sip of his coffee.

"I am glad you can be so forgiving in that kind of situation. That is good to know. You will need a high amount of tolerance if you want to survive at Beacon. Take a good look at me, I've been here for years and I have more tolerance than anyone, even Glynda."

"Yeah, but you are also a Sadist, so I doubt that you need to explain to me the need for tolerance when you can simply assign someone you do not enjoy some extra homework."

"Well… Ah drat, you've caught me. I will admit that setting people up with a little something more than they expected is a little hobby of mine. I can see your understanding of the people here does not end with my students."

"But of course it doesn't. Someone who was in such a sweet love with Remnant as me wouldn't be caught without knowing all of the characters, heart and soul. There were vast archives with full analyses of your personalities and thought processes, and I had nearly memorized them."

"While I will recognize that you are admirably dedicated to your field of study, I would not flaunt such knowledge willingly in this world. As far as anyone else is concerned, you have met everyone here for the first time and know nothing about them, not even their names. I stress that you must not allow them to catch onto the fact that you know more about them than they have willingly told you. They may take you for a stalker, and I fear that would severely limit your social opportunities."

"But of course, I understand my situation in this world, and I will not do anything to undermine its integrity with otherworldly knowledge. I'm in the world of my dreams, and I don't plan to waste my opportunities here."

He turned his back on me as I finished, and looked out the window, seemingly lost in thought for a while, until he broke the silence about a minute later, if only slightly.

"He said you were the brightest. I'm glad to see he doesn't boast lightly…"

There it was again. Ozpin thought he was being quiet, yet I was able to hear him perfectly, even though my bandages were placed over my ears. The rift had damaged him more than I had presumed. He wouldn't be so careless otherwise.

"Who told you that? I've only ever heard that once before, and I am curious who told you such a thing." I already knew that it was Dad who told him that. He told my uncle the same thing a few weeks before he left earth. He, in turn, told me how he felt last year. I simply wanted to test Ozpin's reactions to his own weaknesses. It was one of the things I really had no clue about when it came to his mental process, and I was eager to gather information.

He then turned his head towards mine, with a puzzled expression on his face, and a set of eyes that spoke of equal parts concern and curiosity.

"You hearing has been augmented. Back on earth you would not have been able to hear me say something so quietly. But here, even with thick gauze covering your ears you could make out a whisper. You have gained nearly inhuman senses… Wait a minute."

He quickly advanced towards me from his position near the window, until he was standing over me, with a rather stern look on his face, considering he was, a moment ago, serene and quiet.

"Would you permit me to remove your bandages? There is something that I must confirm."

"So you are not willing to recognize that you were simply loud enough for me to hear, despite your assumptions that you were whispering? The trip must have affected you more than I could imagine Professor."

He shook his head, "Do not take my inquiry for ignorance. I am perfectly aware of how much volume my voice had. It would not have been humanly possible for you to perceive my words. Therefore, it is my prerogative to inspect your body for any other dramatic changed that could have accompanied this development of your hearing."

"So… If it wasn't humanly possible, what could make it possible?" I was beginning to get a little nervous now. He was making it out to sound like I had changed into a whole new person.

"That is what I plan to inspect. Now, will you permit me or not? For your sake, I seek the answer to this question."

Uneasily, I nodded for him to remove my bandages. He cut the upper layer away with some scissors that were on a nearby tray, and began to unravel them tenderly. It took quite a while to remove the turban of gauze that was around my head, and my head felt much lighter as the process went on. When the last of the wrapping was removed, a piece of sterile bandage fell from my forehead, stained with blood. I guess I had hit my head a little hard after Yang dropped me. Not only had that, but the patch on my eye had fallen off as well. Now that I could see out of both eyes, I noticed something peculiar. Some areas of the room appeared significantly brighter than others. When I closed my right eye, this blotted effect receded, and the room simply looked lighter in general.

"Tell me; are you capable of seeing out of your left eye? Is there any discomfort, or pain? Any kind of odd feeling whatsoever?" It was Ozpin that spoke first after my initial experimentation with my vision was over.

I shook my head. "Nothing is different, except for one thing. When I only use one eye, the darker spots of the room look much brighter than before. When I use both eyes, the effect dies down and some areas are blotted dark and light. What does that mean?"

"It means," he said in a rather heavy tone, "that you have just been granted Night Vision."

"Whoa. Well, it certainly isn't every day you can see in that dark is it? I will say that this is a bit odd to get used to. I'll need to adjust to it. I also get the feeling that my extra sensitive hearing will be both a boon and an annoyance as well."

"Well, I'm afraid that there are some… minor things that you will need to get used to as well. I will get a mirror so you can see for yourself." He stood up and went to the bathroom, calmly and slowly like his entrance.

"What, am I ugly now? Come on, don't be shy I can take it! Tell me; is my smile still atrocious at least? I rather enjoyed not having to show my teeth when taking a photo."

He ignored my prodding, and he returned a moment later with a square hand mirror, facing it towards himself.

"Are you ready for this? It will be, I think, a little bit of a shock for you, unless you have already guessed the change yourself."

I paused before answering, taking a mental note of everything that had shifted and morphed. "Honestly, the only thing I know has changed is my voice, my hearing, and my eye. Other than that I haven't really noticed anything major. Although, I will say my lower half is still a bit numb… Should I be worried about that?"

"Well, if they were numb during the journey, I would not be worried. The feeling will return in time. To be honest, my legs still don't feel all the way correct yet either."

"Well, alrighty then. Now I just need to see these 'Minor Details' you were talking about. Show the new me, I am ready."

Ozpin handed me the mirror, this time facing myself. In the mirror was something quite… exotic.

I saw someone with grey Wolf ears protruding from their head. I saw someone with thick, grey hair coming to their neck. Their features were very feminine, with long eyelashes. Their teeth were somewhat pointed, and their features very smooth. One of their eyes was a dark brown, but the other was a bright yellow, almost like a banana. Looking further down, was something _very_ curious. I saw someone with about C cup breasts peeking out from their hospital robe. Don't ask me how I knew that, aside from having three women in the house.

_The person I saw was me. I had become a Faunus. A __**Female **__Faunus_.

I took a few minutes to familiarize myself with the new image faced in front of me, and then raised my hand slowly up to my head. When my fingers touched the pointed ears, they flinched a little at the stimulus of my touch. I felt something on my head move, and I knew it was the real thing. I didn't even care that I could suddenly move my arms again.

"…Well, as much as I would like to assume this was an elaborately constructed prank, the fact that I have enhanced hearing and night partial night vision really takes a shit on my hopes. I suppose my sudden craving for meat would be answered as well. Wouldn't you agree Professor?" I put on as much of a smile as I could muster after that, seeking to look confident; somewhat anyway.

He seemed a little shocked at my cool reaction, remaining silent for a moment before returning from his thoughts.

"This… Doesn't affect you at all? The fact that you are not only female, but Faunus as well has no significant impact on you whatsoever? I am amazed. A normal man would be screaming and crying in the corner by now, but you remain quiet, and if I do say myself, looking a little pleased."

"That's my secret Professor. I'm no ordinary man. Not anymore at least. Although this change is a little dramatic, I find it rather lucky that this particular change was brought upon me, and no something more grotesque. In that capacity, I believe I have more to celebrate than to mourn. Sure, I will miss having, you know, male parts and all; I could very well have ended up with something that would change my everyday life. Like, oh I don't know a big tail or something!"

At this juncture, I heard some rustling underneath my sheets, and something towards my lower region began to twitch.

"Oh Hell… Why does this always happen to me? Me and my big mouth…"

"I believe this is what they call 'Be careful what you wish for.'"

Sure enough, a grey, fluffy tail erupted from the left side of my sheets. My eyes widened as I saw it wag from side to side, and felt something rather uncomfortable press near my lower back.

"Okay, are we sure this isn't some kind of shitty novel? I'm some kind of fluffy wolf-girl for fucks sake. Ozpin, please tell me that I am sane, and not just high off of my meds right now?"

I turned to face him, and saw him covering his mouth while convulsing, obviously cracking up from the spectacle.

"Oh yeah, real mature Ozpin, laugh at the sad little wolf girl who just was made into some kind of plush hug-me toy, I love it!"

"Wolf girl or not, I wouldn't call you little. It seems you retained your height from before."

I looked down, and noticed his observation was factual. I was generally as tall as I had been before my transformation. Great, now I was a _tall_ hug-me toy. This just kept getting better.

After finishing his round of giggles, he recomposed himself and resumed his observations of my body.

"This is a rather curious situation indeed. When we first arrived, only small signs of change were visible. I noticed your voice was much higher than usual when you spoke, and your hair had already started to grey over. Other than that, I was not able to tell much difference. That means these changes were gradual, over the time you spent in this room. I am surprised none of the staff was able to notice them either… Ah, we have been using odd shifts here due to over-employment, so I doubt you were never treated by any one nurse more than once. The only reason you had a patch over your eye was the fact that is was changing color so rapidly. We believed it to be an infection of some kind."

Ozpin hung his head low, and mumbled under his breath. "I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to blame me for dragging you here. I had no clue the changes would be this drastic…"

"Hold it. Just because I complain now doesn't mean I regret my decision. You said something like this could and would happen, so I hold no regrets. No matter what, I am proud of the decision I made. You are not to blame either. Whatever happens to me is nothing of your own will. Although I share your curiosity, as I too did not expect the changes to be gradual either. I reckon that they are not finished either. I should stay here for a while more to see if anything changes over time."

He nodded with a smile, obviously pleased with my understanding of the situation.

"I am glad you are willing to be cautious about this. I recommend another week in bed, simply to be safe. Keep a log of anything else that appears, and let me know. After the week is over, we will decide on a course of action for you to take. For now, get some sleep. I imagine it has been a long night, and I do not want to keep you any longer."

"Yeah, I am beat. All this excitement has me exhausted. It wasn't like I had much energy to begin with; I could barely sit up when I came to."

"Well whatever the case, you are safe, and however changed you may be, you still hold a place of importance in this building. If anything goes awry, contact me and I will settle it… Ah, forgive me, you have no way to do that yet do you?"

He rummaged around in his pockets until he found the grey tube he was looking for.

"Here, this should allow you to facilitate communications with all of the staff, including me, personally. Although use this feature sparingly, as not all of the staff are as accommodating as I when it comes to personal visits."

"Does it have access to the global networks?"

"Why of course, it _is_ the latest model. I had just picked it up today, in fact."

"Excellent. I will use that to my advantage. Thank you Professor, for everything you have done."

He turned to leave, and looked over his shoulder, smirking.

"Do not thank me. There is much more to do before you can thank me."

With that he strolled out of the room, leaving me with my thoughts and a new body to keep me occupied.

"Whatever that means. I'll get everything sorted out tomorrow. For now, I think it is high time that I slept. I fell that tomorrow will be a rather momentous day indeed. I need to figure out what the hell to do with this thing…" I batted my tail to the side as I felt it, my newly appeared fur tingling at the contact.

I leaned over onto the table, switched off the lamp, and close my eyes. I ran my hand along my tail a little before thinking to myself,

"_I'd say that life just got a lot more interesting."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Now we get to the really good stuff. A lot of passing out, exhaustion, and surprise in this chapter. From here on out, the chapters will be more forward, and progress the story at a faster pace. Again, any question, feel free to PM and I will answer them in the end of the next chapter. See ya next time!<em>**


	3. Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken by a nurse refilling my saline bag, with the early day sun peeking out from the windows, and a slight chill filling the air. I figured I could no longer pass for brain-dead, so I obliged to voice my newfound consciousness.

"Well, morning ma'am. How do I look so far?"

She responded with a frightened yelp, and took a minute to catch her breath after nearly tearing down the curtain next to her.

"They told me you were supposed to be comatose. When did you wake up?! I need to call a doctor right now!"

Before I had a chance to tell her I was alright, she sprinted out of the room and screamed for a doctor all down the hall. In less than a minute, a full squad of personnel surrounded my bed, all asking questions regarding my condition and taking readings from the machines nearby. They persisted for about ten minutes like this, before they saw that I was in good enough condition for them not to panic. Afterwards, the remaining doctor, who I recognized as the one Ozpin had spoken to last night, informed me that I would need another week under observation before being released. I could assume that was Ozpin's directive, as he had told me that before leaving the previous night.

That left me with a rather large amount of time to simply sit and do nothing. In the end, I decided on mostly daydreaming the hours away, jumping between topics in my mental discussion and sitting there, only partially lucid while I waited for my sentence to be over. It wasn't until the fifth day that I remembered that I had been given a scroll by Ozpin. I quickly pulled it out, and looked around the cylinder for some kind of power button. Now that it was in my hand, and I could look it over, I was now completely confused as to how it would work. I had to ask the nurse how to operate it when she arrived.

"What kind of backwater town did you come from? Everyone knows how to use these things! Even little kids have them. Here, let me see that." I handed her the scroll, and she deftly tapped the side of it, revealing a small tray, where she pulled out a piece of metal about one foot from the tube, and a holographic screen became visible in the gap between the two pieces of plastic.

"There you go. Do you need anything else, or can you handle the rest hun?"

"Yes, I will be fine. Believe it or not, I was quite a tech fanatic back home. I'm just unfamiliar with this model is all."

She regarded me with a doubtful look, and quickly finished her duties. She left me alone with my new toy, and I soon discovered something rather exciting.

The operating system that this scroll was strikingly similar to the one I had used at home. It shared some similarities with the Windows platform, but other things were curiously like that of a Mac. It was almost like a fusion between the two. While this made it much easier to familiarize myself with its functions, I still marveled over the fact that it was so close to home, in a sense. The lack of a physical screen was the main thing that I was forced to adjust to. I was so used to having something solid to touch that having my hand go through the screen when I made contact with it was quite annoying.

My scroll soon consumed much of my remaining time at the Hospital. I spent nearly every moment I could personalizing it and discovering new features. The scroll told me that it powered itself through a nuclear cell implanted in the lower part of the cylinder. While I worried about the health risks this imposed, it informed me that it was surrounded by a thickly made lead layer, so I would not feel any adverse effects form radiation. In the end, the nearly infinite charge it offered proved useful to me, as I was nearly always using it in some capacity. Having to worry about battery capacity would have been frustrating.

When I began, one of the first things I looked at was the date and time. It would have been ignorant to continue to go about my life without knowing the time of the year. It told me that I was currently in the third week of January. The days of the week were the same, with the current day being Thursday. That would mean that I would be discharged by Saturday, with any luck. My body had been gradually relaxing over the week, the last major change being my eye. The right side now matched the left, leaving both of my eyes the same yellow-gold color.

I then remembered that Ozpin wanted me to call him at some point. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had given up hope that I ever would.

"Well, it is after school hours, might as well try to call him now, see if he was serious about this whole instant contact thing."

It was nearly 4 in the afternoon, and I did not expect Ozpin to still be caught up in the daily activities of the students.

I looked through the built in contacts, until Ozpin's profile came up on the display. I entered in the command to call him, and, much to my surprise, he instantly was on my screen.

"Well, I was wondering how long it would take you to try this feature out. I've been waiting for the majority of the week for some kind of contact to come through. I was mildly surprised that it took you so long to familiarize yourself with the scroll. Your technological enthusiasm was well spoken for."

"Well, I only just began with this thing yesterday. I kind of forgot about it for a few days, since the doctors were all over me at first. I didn't even get solid food until Tuesday."

"Well, at least they have some kind of concern regarding your health. I do not think eating a twenty ounce steak right after waking up would have been very good for you."

"So you agree with them starving me for half of a week and only feeding me flavored pastes? I'd like to see you try those, and tell me how they are. Besides, it's not like I have these things for nothing!" I opened my mouth and showed him my new set of teeth, with sharpened pints, all the more easily to eat my meat with.

"Take your time now. It is only a matter of time before you will be out of there, and can experience all the meat Remnant has to offer. Simply bide your time, and wait for the right moment."

"And by that, I hope you mean wait until you offer to take me to dinner! I know you would just _love_ to go out with someone like me on your arm!" Maybe if I cornered him enough, he would cave into giving me a free meal. It doesn't hurt to try and milk my new appearance a little.

Ozpin took a double take at me, and paled a little bit. He seemed to be doing some kind of internal battle with himself.

"I… fear that would be borderline pedophilia. Sure, having someone such as yourself escort me _would_ be quite an experience, I'm afraid the local gossipers would be on our cases for more than a year, and I am quite sure neither of us would enjoy that."

*sigh* "Everyone's a critic, my dear Professor. Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know. But, for now I will let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing."

"The mountain of papers that never end, I'm fear. Do well; I will talk with you when you are discharged. Until then, try to get some sleep, you look terrible." With that, he ended the connection. I looked into the mirror Ozpin had left me, and inspected my personal appearance.

My eyes were very bloodshot from all the time spent looking at my scroll, and my hair was messy and greasy. I looked very well like I had just exited some kind of drug party. It had just occurred to me that I had not showered since I got here, either.

"Sheesh, no wonder she thought I was from the boondocks, I look atrocious. Well, high time I got civilized, I think."

I threw the sheets off of myself, and wandered over to the bathroom, where the large, bleached showers were situated. I was glad I no longer had an IV in my arm, as it offered me a lot more freedom, especially when it came to the bathroom.

I turned on the water, and allowed it to run for a while in order to pick up some heat. In the meantime, I stripped out of my flimsy gown, and looked at my full form in the mirror for the first time. All that served to do was solidify the fact that I was a girl now. I had been mostly ignoring that reality until now, since it really only affected going to the bathroom. My first time using my new… _parts_ had been a bit traumatic for me, but by now I felt I had the hang of it. Now, with a full frontal view of my body, it finally sunk in all of the way.

My curves were subtle, not profound like that of a model, but not at all nonexistent either. My skin was on the pale side, likely due to the fact that I had been cooped up inside for the entirety of a week. Not much sunlight had been coming in either. My legs were slim and long, much like they had been before, minus the hair. The only area I really had any difficulty sizing up was my chest.

My sisters were the ones who were really concerned with that sort of thing, but I never paid them much attention, so I had no clue what the quality of my rack was. I was familiar with the sizing system, but was unsure what mine fell into. From what my memory told me, they were similar to Blake's, possibly more like Ruby. Either way, they were there, and added an unfamiliar weight to my chest. Although my center of gravity had shifted to my hips, the extra weight was still easily noticeable.

My tail was another addition that I had yet to fully inspect. When I turned around, I saw that when it was limp, it extended prom the very lower region of my back, just above my butt crack, to my knees. The fur on it was a slate grey, with blotted areas of white here and there. When I moved it around, as I had been practicing, it flexed quite well, free from the confines of the robe and the blankets. At the very least, it was light, and flexible, able to bend into a right angle. It would not affect my daily motion, and felt mostly like a purely aesthetic thing.

Aside from the obvious features, I noticed that the Acne on my back had remained, now a bit more accentuated from the change in color on my skin. However the acne on my forehead had all but disappeared. I was grateful, for now I could focus on keeping my back clean instead of having to worry about my face as well. Not to mention that Acne really hurts like hell.

I was grateful that I was permitted to be in my room alone, because had someone needed to use the bathroom, they would have been very displeased with me at the time. The water was already lukewarm when I finally entered, cutting my time in the shower short, and only permitting me to wash my hair. This alone took a good ten minutes, since it was so thick and so filthy. I didn't even have time to clean my tail, and hung neglected and wet after I had stepped out.

"Note to self; if I want to grow out my hair, thin it first. I sure as hell am not doing this for hair that goes to my waist."

After my first shower as a member of the fairer sex, I had a totally new respect for hair care practices. I couldn't even comprehend how Yang was able to manage that glorious mane she maintained. Even Weiss and Blake had quite a bit of hair to deal with. Ruby was really the only one who had short hair that she could think of, save for Nora. After all, the three of us looked quite fine with short hair, and after this, I saw no reason to grow it out, especially now, since I had a tail full of thick fur to clean as well.

When my hair was finally dry, I attempted to brush it, but even that proved to be a challenge. The sheer density of hair on my head nearly consumed the bristles with every stroke I took.

"Ok, enough of that." I shook out my hair, choosing instead to opt into the "messy" look, in lou of ripping out my hair with a brush. When I patted it down and sculpted the fur on my head into some semblance of hair, I was quite pleased. It gave me a good style, and at a fraction of the effort that brushing could provide. Instead of using it to brush my hair, I used to it straighten out my tail a little, giving it a good brushing. The fur there was more cooperating than my head, and I was able to groom it properly without leaving myself devoid of hair.

When I was re-buttoning my gown, I became incredibly aware of the horrid odor coming from my mouth. I guess I hadn't brushed my teeth in a while either. I looked around for a toothbrush, and while I was searching a grey bag with a sticky note caught my eye. I walked over to the small table in the corner of the bathroom, and saw what looked like a commodity bag. The note read,

"_I figured you would need some help in the hygiene department. I took the liberty to get you some things that would hold you until we could find something more permanent."_

_Ozpin_

Well, he at least thought to give me a toothbrush. I rummaged through the bag, taking a total of all the items inside. He had supplied me some shampoos, toothpaste and a toothbrush, a bar of soap, and deodorant. It would suffice, until I was out of the Hospital.

I set to work brushing my teeth, eager to rid myself of this stench that permeated my mouth. I now realized how blissful not being able to smell my own breath had been.

When I was brushing, I remembered something as well. At home, I had to use a retainer every night in order to keep my teeth from moving around. If I did not use it for a night or two, my mouth ached until I used it again. Here, it was a different story. My teeth had been perfectly fine, and I had been without my retainer for a week. That took away one hassle from my daily life, at least. Although, now I would need to be extremely careful about my hygiene, especially if I could smell the slightest bit of odor.

I walked out of the bathroom in my Hospital gown; mentally perplexed form all of the new realities I had to absorb.

"Well, today has certainly been an experience in feminine hygiene. Never before have I had such respect for my sisters."

An unexpected voice cooed from the corner, slyly smiling and rising from her seat.

"You know, it only gets worse as time goes on. Pretty soon you'll have to worry about makeup too."

I quickly swiveled my head, in a state of alert at the sound of someone invading my room unexpectedly. When I saw who was there, however, I dropped my guard, and turned to face her.

"My dear Yang, you have no idea how wrong you are. Who needs makeup? I'm naturally glamorous, why ruin it with makeup?"

The Yellow menace before me walked towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder, weighted down by her golden gauntlets hanging on the wrists.

"Because, silly, even people like us have bad days, and it never hurts to add a bit more to the already good picture. Call it… Insurance, if you want to."

"Well, you might have a point there. Now, are you here to give me beauty advice, or did you need something from me?"

She removed her hand form my shoulder and sat in the chair next to my bed.

"If you can believe it, both. Come, lay down, we have a lot to talk about."

I shrugged my shoulders, and complied with her request. I laid out on the bed net to her, getting comfortable for what I felt would be a very long conversation.

"First things first, Ozpin told us mostly everything regarding what happened when you, well, blew up our room."

She turned away from me, and spoke instead to the door now.

"And by 'Ozpin told us everything' I really mean in a blind fury I grabbed him by the collar and threatened to remove his coffee mug hand unless he explained what was going on…"

I raised an eyebrow, unknowingly to her, and simply sighed and lowered my head. "Yang, one of these days that temper of yours will get you into some serious trouble. You can't exactly beat up the Headmaster, y'know. That kind of looks bad on transcripts." I leaned towards her, and put on my best sympathetic look, attempting to console her. She looked really depressed; probably embarrassed that she had nearly killed her Headmaster over something so stupid.

"To be honest, I did the same thing when Ozpin first came into my house. I nearly hacked him in the head with an axe…."

"Oh my God, you're kidding me! You'll tell me all about it later, right?"

I nodded slightly, and chuckled at her eagerness to hear how I had attempted to scare Ozpin off with my little weapon. Hearing that she wasn't alone in the "I almost killed someone stupidly" department seemed to cheer her up as well.

"Good. Next thing, he wants me to help you get situated here in Beacon. And by that, I think he means the world in general. He wants me to get you caught up with what goes on here, among other things"

"So, he set you up to be my spirit animal, or something? I think I can get behind that idea."

"Yeah, I'll teach you all about Beacon, and you'll be just like everyone else! We'll be the best of friends, I just know it! I like that whole spirit animal thing too!"

She backed in her confidence a little, and then she looked like something dawned on her.

"Also, one more thing! Since you, y'know, don't really know much about being a girl apparently, I'm here to teach you about that too."

"Ohh, right. I kinda forgot about that…" I could feel my cheeks reddening with every second, and I knew Yang would savor my embarrassment.

"Well, I'm not quite sure how it works either, but all Ozpin told us was that you were a guy, and now you're a girl, end of story. I will ask one thing, though. Which do you like better so far?"

Now I was definitely blushing, and I knew that no matter what I said, Yang would tease me for it. I wasn't sure what to say, since I hadn't made many comparisons between the two.

She picked up on my emotions quicker than I expected.

"Hey, if I went too far just say so. I'm not here to make you feel bad; I want to do exactly the opposite."

"No, that's not it. The question is fine; I just don't know what to say quite yet. Can we come back to this some other time?"

"Hey, I don't mind. I just figured you would want to get the awkward stuff out of the way first."

"Actually, that sounds like a good plan. Come at me with every weird question you can think of, best to wipe them out first."

"Alrighty, here we go!" She adopted the most evil grin I could ever witness, and I knew that my soul was already sold.

* * *

><p>Yang knew her questions well. She delivered in them in a well-rehearsed and oratory fashion, the exact opposite of what I expected from her. But it worked in her favor, as I was too stunned by her demeanor to keep up with what she was asking me, and I ended up giving her half assed responses. Anything from my Chest to my Ass she was curious about, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer her half of the time. Eventually, I was drowning her out, leaving myself alone with my thoughts.<p>

"Hey, did you hear me over there? Remnant to Wolfy, hellooooo?"

"Wait, what did you say? I didn't hear you."

"I said, before you decided to block me out completely, that you need a new name."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I was kind of exhausted when I came out of the shower, so I might have dozed off in the middle of all the questions."

"Ah, no worries, I got everything I needed anyhow. Now, what should we call you? I mean you can't exactly use your old name anymore, now can we?"

"You raise a good point. I had been thinking about that, but wasn't sure how that would work. I'm not even sure what kind of name I would go with."

Yang sat back in the chair, and looked at me intently for a few minutes, probably thinking about what name went best with my look.

"Well, I can't think of anything good. What about you?"

I thought of every name I could recall, and looked for one that made any kind of sense in these circumstances. I thought of using my mother's name, but if she ever decided to join me that would be a bit difficult to deal with. There had to be something I could use…

"I think I do."

'Well, what is it?"

"I want be called Rika. It's a name from somewhere in my world. I always liked the ring of names form that place, so I want to be called that."

"Hm, I like the sound of it. Any ideas on a last name? If you plan on ever going to classes here, you'll need one or else the Professors will be in an outrage every time they want to call on you."

"Well in that case, I see no reason not to oblige them. I'll assume the name Clarence as my surname. It was my old Uncle's name, and I quite liked it."

"Well, that settles that. Welcome to Remnant, Rika Clarence."

She extended her arm to meet mine, and I pulled out my hand as well to reach hers. I grabbed her hand with all the strength my now miniscule hands could offer, and squeezed with the force of my entire being. I had heard that Yang was quite strong, so I wanted to see just how strong she was. I saw something faintly glow out of the corner of my eye, but I neglected the show and instead focused on the competition unfolding in front of me. Yang now understood the game, and had reacted accordingly. I wanted to see her strength for myself, and started this game to test her limits.

We were now locked din a contest to see whose hand would crumble first. Too bad for her, I wasn't caving in. Although my arms lacked the pure muscle that she had, I had practiced as a rock climber for years, toning my hands and building their resilience, and the hours of gaming left my hands in pristine condition. They were more than capable of handling Yang. Sure, she punched things all the time, but that was purely arm strength. Her hands were like play-doh, and I was more than willing to mold them to my design. What I wasn't expecting, however, was for her to flare her aura and quite literally crush my hands flat. I felt a few bones crack as she took my appendages for a spin, and I knew I had completely misjudged her.

I knew she had the ability to funnel her aura into her strengths, but I had not expected her to completely render my hand useless. After a minute or so of not feeling my hand anymore, I looked back into her eyes and acknowledged her victory.

"Thanks. It's good to be here, really. Now, if you would be so kind as to allow my hand to reform, I'd be more than happy to say you won. Even if you cheated a little bit…" I was starting to cry a little from the sudden pain after the numbness, and I lacked the mental capacity to omit my thoughts from translating into word.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you over the sounds of broken knuckles?" She then obliged to increase her grapple hold on my hands, making a few more joints pop at the added force.

"NO NO I LIED TOTALLY FAIR VICTORY, I CONCEDE DEFEAT, YOU WIN ALL HAIL XAIO LONG, JUST PLEASE LET ME GO I NEED THAT HAND!"

She simply shrugged her shoulders and chuckled. "Eh, if you say so."

She released my hand, and subsequently turned her aura back down to its regular levels, eliminating the glow that had surrounded her previously.

I examined the damage done by Yang's yellow fury, and was rather pleased to see that she hadn't done much. My pinky was dislocated, but everything else was quite functional. She had managed to cut off my circulation, but nothing was ultimately shattered. By some miracle she hadn't injured anything else. I prepared myself for the agony of re-locating my finger, and took a deep breath. I quickly pooped the joint into place and grunted at the pain. I then flexed it a few times to ensure it worked, and then sunk back into the pillow behind me.

"Man, you play harder than I expected."

"Well, if you want to go and try to nearly rip off my hand just to see how far I'd go, what else did you expect? I was simply showing you what I could do."

I knew this is what she would do. Yang couldn't resist a fight, even against a friend. My test served its purpose beautifully. The only thing that was unaccounted for was the odd glow before things got serious.

"Yang, did you see that odd flash of light right before we started? I can't seem to figure out what it was."

"If I had to guess, I'd say that was your aura flaring up. Nothing else really acts like that."

"It can't be, my aura hasn't been unlocked yet. I didn't even know I _could_ have one until a few days ago, to be honest."

She began to remove her gauntlets as I was talking, putting them away in her pockets before turning back to face me.

"Give me your hand, Rika."

"What is it with people wanting to see my body these days; there really isn't anything so spec- ok, maybe there is. But that doesn't mean I enjoy being looked at so much!" I was really starting to hate being so different, if it meant that everyone would want to touch me in some way.

"No, silly. I want to test your aura. I'll be channeling my aura to look for traces of one in you, so that means I need to be in contact with your skin."

"You know, the longer I'm here, the more ridiculous bullshit I hear… But because it's you, I'll go along with it."

I held out my hands, letting them rest upon her bare hands, with no gloves or bracelets to be seen. I've never seen her bare hands, so I expected them to be coarse and puffy like mine. Instead, she had the beautifully sculpted hand of a goddess, with silky skin and the most feminine fingers I could imagine. The gloves she wore must protect her hands form any real damage.

"Alright, now close your eyes and focus on my hands. When I'm finished, I'll let you know. Are you ready?"

I nodded quickly, and grunted with my approval. She also closed her eyes, and began to hum softly. I cleared my thoughts, and instead painted an image of Yang's hands in my mind. As the image came into view, I started getting a little warm. It was my nerves getting the better of me, and I ignored them, instead continuing to focus on my mind's image. Yang's humming got slightly louder, but I paid it no mind. My hands were starting to shake out of nervous ness, the atmosphere of the room taking a dive into the unnatural. I felt like I was a part of some irreligious voodoo spell or something. I was starting to feel like I did in the rift tunnel, not being able to open my eyes and completely clueless to the world around me.

I felt something on the very tip of my nose, and I couldn't resist opening my eyes. Yang was recoiling her hand as fast as possible, but I knew it was her.

"So, what happened to testing my aura? Sounded like a perfect excuse to get me to close my eyes, if you ask me."

She put on a pouting face and tried to give me the guilt trip treatment, but I wasn't falling for it. Besides, she was _way_ less cute than Ruby when she does it.

"Sorry, that doesn't work on me. I had two sisters, and they did that to me all the time, I'm impervious to the pout!"

"Ah, well it was worth a shot. Anyways, that wasn't the whole reason I did that."

"So what was your reason then? I didn't feel anything really spectacular happen."

She leaned over and flicked my nose again. This time, however, I didn't feel anything aside from a little pressure from where her finger made impact. I looked at my nose, as well as I could anyway, and noticed a kind of grey glow coming from it.

"Whoa… I'm just gonna assume that was what you were getting at?"

She nodded, and remained silent, closing her eyes and smiling smugly.

"Bingo. That black flash was your Aura shielding you from my flick. Quite handy, if I say so myself. Also, the fact that you could already channel your aura into your own strength speaks about your control. You only just had your Aura unlocked, and you do something that we do after years of practice. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have done anything to my hand. You sure you aren't from Remnant?"

I shook my head, and experimented a little bit with my aura. From what I remembered, Aura had something to do with your will, and how passionately you felt when using it. I doubted I could suddenly get that emotional, but instead I focused on channeling my Aura into my hands, for starters. I made an image of my hands in my mind's eye, and sunk into my trance. I felt a sense of awareness come over myself, suddenly extremely conscious of my body's motor and mental functions. I imagined hitting something, like a wall or a lamp, and willed my mind to envision myself destroying them piece by piece. I imagined myself having fun with it, trying to synthesize all of the emotion and determination that I could.

I thought about Dad, and being able to see him again, to be able to be with him once again. I thought about having a father again.

I felt my skin tingle, and my thoughts begin to increase in speed. They were mutated into raw emotion, and were accelerated into reality, fueling my Aura with every waking moment. I felt things I wasn't sure existed, things I couldn't even name if I tried. It was all a great big neural mess, and my mind couldn't make any sense of it, let alone control it.

Somehow, Yang snapped me out of my fit, and forced me back into the physical world. My eyes fluttered back to attention, and I noticed that I was now lying down against the bed. Yang was leaning towards me, sweat beading her forehead and her Aura returning to normal. I myself seemed quite hot, and I saw patches of my Aura receding on my body.

"Well, first time I tried to focus my Aura it goes haywire. Great story to tell Ozpin when I see him. Thanks for that, whatever you did. I get the feeling that could have turned _really_ nasty if you hadn't done something."

Yang answered me in between pants, trying to regain her breath

"It's… Nothing…. Your Aura is… Just a little… Unstable, will fix itself in a while… Had to cut the flow of Aura… took a little bit out of me... Phew, man I'm tired now."

She walked away from my bed and into the bathroom. I heard the spicket go on, and Yang throwing water (presumably on her face). I looked back at my hands, now returned to normal, and thought about what would have happened if she had not been there. How far would I have gone into my own mind? I shuddered at the kinds of things that could have come through my mind's eye, and gave a silent thanks to my busty savior. I would get her some whiskey later as thanks, she had earned it.

"Well, now that we both have our first meetings and haywire Auras out of the way, I'm gonna go. I'll tell you everything you need to know as it comes along. Later, when you get out of here, we'll go shopping for something decent to wear. Don't worry about the Lien, Ozpin gave me a loan for that, I have you covered."

"Well, many thanks my friend. Oh! Before I forget, do they have good meat in the dining hall? My carnal cravings have been kicking in lately, and I need some good food."

"Beacon has the best food in Remnant for mass consumption; meats are their pride and joy! Steak, Filet Mignon, London broil, anything you can think of! Not much vegan stuff though. I guess you could call being a Vegetarian… A big Missed Steak! EHHH?"

I felt my hand instinctively go to my forehead, attempting to squeeze the frustration out of my head.

"Yang, remind me when I get a weapon to thoroughly beat the ever living shit out of you for that…" She looked at me with a mock puppy dog face, and then broke out into laughter.

"You and everyone else, fluffy kins. Glad to see I can still lift the spirits of my friends. Well, I'll see ya later Rika. Don't go breaking anything else, you hear? I'll be in the lobby when you get discharged, don't leave without me!"

With her back turned as she said this, she nearly bounced out of the room, leaving me with a severe hatred of puns and an even more enraged desire to eat some good meat. However, I still had to wait another day until I could leave. I was just as exhausted as Yang described, and the sun was slowly waning outside of my window. I decided to call it an early night, and go to bed. I didn't really care about dinner, so I had no qualms about skipping it. I wasn't hungry anyway, not after the last hour.

One thing struck me as peculiar about this whole situation though.

_I didn't have an Aura before I woke up in the Hospital, and suddenly I do. _

This was definitely something I needed to tell Ozpin, since the same thing had happened to my Dad. For all we knew our cases were as similar as possible, and I was sure he wanted to look into this further. I wrote a reminder on my scroll to tell him on Saturday, when I was out of here. As much as I was a curious freak when it came to Hospitals and wounds, I well had more than enough time sitting in one being a patient.

I leaned back, and fell into my now deformed pillow with all of my gravity behind it. I wondered what it would be like to go shopping as a girl now. I had seen my sisters dote over the smallest items, and I was curious to see what all of the fuss was about now that I had the chance to do it myself. With Yang there, it would be a little easier than being on my own, but I was still a little nervous, since I wasn't exactly a "pureblood" woman.

But, before I could pump out any more worrisome thoughts, I drifted into sleep, and succumbed to my exhausted brain's demands for peace. In the chaos to ensure, it would savor the feeling while it could.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Well, here it finally is. Sorry for such a long wait, my will to write has been very low lately. This chapter mainly deals with Rika discovering new things about herself ad coming to terms with them, in preparation for the world outside the Hospital. Again, any questions or comments are greatly appreciated. <em>**

**_F.Y.I: Next chapter is Feels worthy (I hope)_**


	4. Chapter 3

"Yang, as much as I'd like to say this was a good choice, I'm having a really hard time forming the words. Are you _sure _no one will make fun of me for this outfit?"

"You'll be fiiiine, don't worry about it. You're forgetting that you travel with me, and no one would dare to make a crack at you with me around, I can guarantee it."

I was pacing in my room, trying to get a feel for my temporary outfit. Yang had shown up mere minutes after I was cleared to leave. She had a small duffel bag with her, and in it she had placed my outfit for the day. However, it was a bit… more than I was willing to work with, at least in the moment.

"Yeah, but that won't stop me from feeling like a total sleeze when I'm wearing this. I mean, don't get me wrong, you managed to guess my sizes pretty well, but it doesn't really matter when my chest is nearly falling out of my shirt!"

I think she had forgotten who she was buying for, and simply bought according to her own tastes. In her bag of wonders, she had procured a medium sized tank top and a matte leather jacket. However, the jacket and tank top covered a lot less than I expected them to, leaving an excessive amount of cleavage visible. The jacket's zipper only came under my ribs, so all I could do was try to hold it closed at the upper level. I wasn't used to having my chest so exposed, so it was altogether uncomfortable. I wasn't really used to earing a bra, either. My lower half was only slightly better represented. A pair of dark blue canvas caprees and some military style boots were my picks, but the caprees hugged my body a little bit _too _tightly. If this was what it meant to try to look sexy, I could easily tell I wasn't going to be looking very sexy all of the time.

"Hey, I dress like that all the time, and I turn heads! Come on, you look great in those! I even got you a cool Fedora to go with everything. All in all, you look ready to go man hunting. Besides, it's not like a lot of women's clothing is exactly comfortable these days, so I couldn't really get any better than that. I kept it as plain as possible."

I looked at Yang with a rather uncomfortable look on my face, and let out a large breath.

"Yang, there are so many things about that sentence that I don't like. One; I don't think I'm exactly looking to go 'man hunting' any time soon. Two; Even if I look good, I still feel like a slut, and three; the fact that having a Fedora makes me feel a little bit better is concerning."

I didn't want to admit it, but the stupid hat really _did_ make it look a whole lot better. But as for the rest of my attire, I would just have to deal with it.

"Well, don't worry; we'll find something more to your liking later on. For now, though, let's get out of here. I think you've been in the Hospital long enough."

I nodded, and gathered up my scroll from the counter. I really had no belongings to bring with me, since my clothes from before were all ripped up from the explosion in the dorms, and I hadn't brought anything else with me beforehand. I had discovered a neat trick regarding my scroll as well; it had the ability to condense into a bracer, and clasp around my wrist. It then expanded again, forming to the contours of my arm, and flexing with it while retaining its functionality. It freed up my pockets, and made sure I didn't lose it as well. Perfect for those like me with a limited memory capacity.

I jogged lightly to catch up to Yang after I fled the room, slamming the door behind me. I blushed a little at the jiggle I observed on my chest, and slowed myself so that I came to a speedy stride beside Yang as she neared the elevator. She looked back and saw me blushing, and looked forward again, shaking her head in dismay.

"Yeesh, you really have no idea how to be a woman, do you? Men don't exactly have to worry about this sort of thing, but give it some time, you'll figure it out. I mean, look at me. I've had these honkers on me for years now, but I do just fine, even in combat."

I still looked embarrassed, I could tell from the look of concern Yang was shooting my way, but at this point I wasn't really caring. Being in a bed for a week and then suddenly having to move around in a new body in these kinds of clothes was _way_ over my tolerance of unwanted situations. I had a feeling, no matter how much Yang tried to help, it was going to be a very long shopping trip…

I saw the elevator at the end of the hall, and I suddenly had an Idea. I quickly dashed towards it, catching Yang off guard, leaving her in the dust as I frantically pressed the button. Luckily someone was exiting on this floor, and I changed spots with her and closed the door. Fortunately, Yang had just turned the corner, looking out of breath and a bit annoyed.

I put a hand to my Fedora, and tipped it in her direction, with a sly smile on my face.

"M'Lady…"

I could feel the heat building on the other side of the elevator door as I descended, quickly patting myself on the back for my quick thinking. Oh, how the internet would have been pleased. Now, I had to think of something to say to her on the bottom floor. I easily decided on my path, and prepared my discourse accordingly.

When the doors opened, I was greeted by a rather pissed off Yang flanked by some rather frightened nurses huddling in the corner. I took the initiative in the conversation, leaning my face towards her and my body against the wall.

"As you can see, I am not some _Neanderthal _Beta. I am an Alpha, and I believe myself quite capable, given the chance to prove it."

Oh dear Lord, this was too good. It would seem that the whole cultural phenomenon around Fedoras existed in Remnant too, for Yang immediately burst into laughter, having to place a hand on the wall to steady herself.

"Oh yeah, it's good to be an Alpha…"

* * *

><p>"So what do you think looks better, the white or the red?"<p>

"Hmm… If I had to guess, I'd say they red, it Compliments your looks a little better."

Shopping was far better than I had originally envisioned. Under normal circumstances, I hated shopping, especially for clothing, simply because of all the hassle it brought along, but this was different. There were more things to consider, more factors to account for, and certainly more choices than men's clothing. I had decided that my boots would last me a while, so I opted not to visit a shoe store. I didn't need a hat, since my newly acquired Fedora (with custom cut ear sockets at the top just for me I might add) filled that role quite nicely, and seemed to work with almost any outfit.

If anything else, it was a hunt to find the perfection among the flawed. A hunt I was well engrossed in.

I put down the red button down I had been wearing on the pile in the corner, and exited the dressing room with Yang in tow, carrying a bag from a previous store.

"Well, that marks everything I can think of. I have to say, I didn't expect Vale to be such a big shopping town. All I see everywhere in this town is shops and more shops."

"Vale is the commercial capital of the world, this is pretty average. Late in the year, this place is even more crowded than the summer."

"Reminds me of a place back home I lived near. Not the best of places, but still pretty big. Oh, speaking of which, I had something to ask."

We approached the front counter, and placed the two shirts I picked out on the counter. I had quickly found a shirt more suited to my tastes, and changed into it. I now wore a light blue silk dress shirt under my leather jacket. The jacket Yang had given me was rather warm, being lined with fluffy fur, so I decided to keep it on. I had switched out my caprees with a heavy pair of cargo pants. After I bought them, I had to quickly cut a hole in the back of them to fit my tail though, but otherwise everything was perfectly fitted.

"I didn't really see anyone on campus when we left. Where was everyone? I though Beacon would be way more packed than I saw."

"Winter Holiday" she replied. "It won't be another two weeks before everyone returns en masse. They had started just when you arrived, when everyone was getting ready to leave. Me and Ruby decided to stay this year, and give our Uncle a break during his time off. Everyone else on our floor went home, Weiss and Blake included. Ozpin always stays here with Goodwitch, and a few other people didn't feel like going home either. In all, only about fifty people are at the school."

"Well, seems like we chose a perfect time to get me used to the campus then, since I won't be leaving anytime soon. I wonder what Ozpin will do with me once the break ends…"

"That was something I wanted to ask about too. Ozpin told us everything except for that you weren't from Remnant, and he brought you here. He didn't tell _why. _So, we don't really know what he plans on doing either."

Yang paused, and gestured towards a nearby bench.

"Let's sit down over there; I'm getting tired of holding all these bags."

We wandered over to the bench, and placed my items on the ground next to us. There wasn't any snow, so the materials inside the bag wouldn't be any worse for it.

"Rika, up until now I've tried to avoid asking too many questions , simply because I know your situation isn't very easy right now. Also, I know that whatever brought you here can't be very easy to talk about. I mean, seriously, unless you had something pretty damn important to come here for, you wouldn't have left everything the way you did. Ozpin told me you had a pretty good life going for you back there."

"Anything I had there can be rebuilt here. Just because my body has changed, doesn't mean my brain has… well maybe not, but you get my point. I can do it all over again, and gain even more. Leaving my life behind wasn't as hard as you might think. I said my goodbyes, and I don't regret my decision. I don't have a reason to, at least not yet."

"What about your family? Even if you said goodbye, it doesn't make it any easier. Personally, I don't know what could make you leave your family willingly. That seems like a luxury."

I stared into the ground, and absorbed Yang's scrutiny. She was right, in many ways. The reason I came here _wasn't _easy to talk about, and I had chosen to sacrifice everything to come here. Now, she wondered if what I sought in this world was worth my entire life…

"That's the key, Yang. Family. Family was what made me come here." I turned my gaze to meet hers, and we locked eyes for a moment before I continued. My grey met her lilac, and the two seemed to mix in the moment.

"I came here to see my father again. On Earth, he died two years ago. He suffered an aneurism in the middle of the night, and died in our home minutes before an ambulance even came. He was buried, and I saw my father fade from existence, day by day. For two years, every happiness I felt was tapered by the fact that I had no father, the man who would help define my life. He would help me get a girlfriend, drive a car, go to college, get married, survive having children, and everything in between."

Yang was silent, not quite sure where I was going with this, and ultimately looked more confused than she had begun with.

"My Father was supposed to be able to have his grandchildren flood his home on Christmas, and bounce them on his knee with a smile on his face. He was supposed to grow old with my mother, and live out their golden years to the fullest travelling the world, and seeing the great sights it held. I felt twice cheated Yang; partly because I didn't get to have my Dad in my life anymore, and because he didn't have me in his."

I could feel tears building in my eyes, but I refused to let them stop my dialogue, because these were things that needed to be said.

"I was his only son, the person he nurtured from birth to be his 'little man', the one who he could share a beer with, hike a mountain with, and talk about women with. He wanted to be my best friend when I grew old enough, and I wanted to do the same with him."

Then, I faced away from Yang, a stream of salty liquid flowing down my nose and onto my cheeks.

"Yang, the reason I came to Remnant, despite leaving behind everything, is because I wanted my Dad back; I wanted my best friend back. When he died, his soul came here and Ozpin found it. Now, he's all alone, and in what condition I have no idea. He sent Ozpin to get me, and me alone, and I accepted. To me, leaving Earth was a fair trade. I traded my absence there to be here next to him, to be the one whom he could look to, when he was all alone. He had given me so much, that I wanted to give him something back… I…"

And then I couldn't go on. Every last drop of tension leaked out of my eyes, and I slumped over in the seat, silently sobbing into the cold air around me. Yang, for a while, closed her eyes and disregarded me, taking in my testimony, and acknowledging its merits and flaws. But then, she drew me into her arms, holding me tight, and whispering into my ears.

"It's alright. That's all I needed. Thank you, Rika."

We stayed like this for an unknown amount of time. Scarcely anyone passed by, the streets deserted in this time of year, no one feeling the need to escape the heat of their homes.

Eventually, I started getting cold, despite Yang's innate inferno capacity keeping me warm, and pulled away from her grasp.

"I would like this to stay between us, for now at least. When I'm ready I'll tell Weiss, but for now only you are to know this. She has a right to the information, but it will come from my mouth."

"Hey, I'm not a blabbermouth, that's Ruby. Besides, she and Blake don't even know you're here yet. Weiss does, but she is gone too. Don't worry, my lips are sealed Rika."

I nodded, and pulled a pack of tissues out of my pocket, wiping my eyes and nose. Another reason not to wear makeup; having it run when you cry.

"Thanks. To be honest, I hadn't really done much thinking on that subject since I got here. I needed to get all of that off my chest, and now I feel a lot better. Everything feels more concrete now."

"Well, you're going to need to feel better. When we get back, Ozpin wants to talk to you. We both know how draining conversations with him are, so at least now you're prepared a little bit."

"He did say something like that to me too. I nearly forgot about it, to be honest. Word to the wise; never expect me to remember anything longer than twenty minutes."

She shrugged her shoulders, and chuckled slightly.

"Sounds a bit like Ruby, honestly. I'm used to remembering everything for her. Wouldn't be bad if I had to add another one to my list if you wanted."

"Well, tempting as that may be, I'll need to learn sometime. Better start learning how to remember now. I can't rely on people forever."

She simply nodded, and stood up, stretching her arms, and yawning loudly.

"Well, I say we head back to the port, next ship to Beacon leaves in half an hour, wouldn't want to miss it, would we?"

"No, that's true. Ozpin would have my head on a pike if I stood him up right after I get out of the Hospital."

"Well, off we go then. Come on, get the bags, and let's go!"

I shouldered the satchels, and bounded after the bouncing yellow bolt running off in front of me, keen on leaving me in this unknown city, unless I decided to pick up my pace.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Ozpin's office is through here. Just call the elevator, and Goodwitch will see you in. I'll keep the bags with me, so don't worry. Just call me on my scroll once you're done, I've got to go pick up Ruby from the training fields. Later!"<p>

Yang quickly jogged away from my position, and I was suddenly alone in the lobby of Beacon; that is, the large Lighthouse that the campus was named after. It was pretty plain for somewhere as fancy as Beacon. White plaster walls, plain wooden benches, and an old wooden door. Seems like Ozpin wasn't one to embellish his holdings. I pushed the plastic button on the elevator console, and the doors sprang open.

I stepped in, and turned around. The doors closed instantly behind me, and the elevator slowly began its ascent. I heard a rather bouncy tune playing from the speaker above me, and I recognized it as a clarinet, playing beside a big band.

"Funny, I didn't figure Ozpin to be the type to like Jazz. Sized him up for more of the classic rock type."

I would definitely need to treat him to some of my playing later on, but for now I would need to see what exactly he wanted to talk about, and what needed to be settled.

About a minute passed before the doors opened again. I walked out into what looked like a circular library. The walls were a few meters tall, and the majority of it was lined with books of all kinds. The floor was a sleek tile, and directly in front of me was a rather exquisite looking desk. In that desk, currently, was a preoccupied Glynda Goodwitch, staring intently, at the screen in front of her, not even acknowledging my presence.

I stood quite awkwardly in front of the elevator door for a few moments, until I built up the nerve to make myself known to the bespectacled beauty in front of me.

"Um… Hello, Miss Goodwitch. I think Ozpin wanted to see me?"

She quickly spared me a glance, and then immediately resumed her previous work.

"Ah, yes. Go in. They are waiting for you, don't delay any longer than you already have."

I took this clearance to enter, and pushed open the large oak doors behind Goodwitch, and slowly walked through them.

At the far end of the circular gearwork office was Ozpin, sitting in his desk, taking a sip of his drink, and conversing with a man in a wheelchair in front of him. I took pains to try and place his image, but nothing came to mind. His hair was parted down the middle, with a slight wave near the front, and the rest combed back. He wore rather large glasses, and had rather pockmarked skin. He seemed rather exhausted, for his skin was loose and he looked hunched and ready to fall asleep. However, he was holding conversation quite easily with Ozpin, despite his elderly look. When I walked closer, I noticed his right hand was constructed of pure metal, likely a replacement for his original. I approached the desk, and waited for their discourse to be finished before interjecting.

"…No matter what you say, old man, I can't just let you leave. You and I both know that your presence here is vital for every reason we can think of. Believe me, I would love to let you stroll around Vale for a day or two, but the council has me pressed on the matter. No matter what I recommend, they will ultimately elect to keep you here, away from any possible harm, and in the company of the best this world can offer."

"But… I can't stay like this forever Ozpin. Someday, when my little boy gets here, I want to be able to say that I've gone and seen everything, went and experienced all the wonders it has to offer, not cooped up in a school for two years getting tested and feeling old as hell. Not to mention lonely, and depressed, and sick… Ahh hell, the last two years have sucked royally. I just want something good to come my way, y'know?"

His voice seemed much younger than his body did, with a slightly sarcastic ring to its mellow tone.

Ozpin looked my way, gave me a subtle wink, and turned his gaze back onto his primary guest.

"Well, it may please you to hear that something good has finally graced your presence. Turn around."

The man next to me twisted both directions, until finally discerning my location. I now got a good look at his face, not from the side. He had deep brown eyes, and a slightly prickly looking 5 o'clock shadow growing on his chin. I noticed that one of his eyes, the left eye, had a particularly nasty scar over it, similar to that which adorned Weiss, but not quite as clean. He looked at me with eager eyes, but ultimately resumed his neutral look, and turned back to Ozpin.

"I see a girl who looks like she just spent the day getting beefed up at a store. Why is she the good I have been waiting for?"

"Well, I would expect you not to be able to recognize it right off the bat, but I expected better from her. Come now, can you really not tell who he is?"

I pondered this for a few moments, and felt a sudden wave of Déjà vu permeate my thoughts. I really am bad at recognizing people I should know, it seems.

"Ozpin, I pretty much idolized you and when you showed up I couldn't figure out who you were. I think we both need some kind of hint here."

Ozpin hung his head low, and stood from his seat.

"I would have expected as much, although it still pains me to see it come to fruition. Very well then, just like before, I will serve to bridge the gap in your memories."

He opened a drawer in his desk, and pulled out what looked to be a baseball. It was in a plastic display case, and looked to be signed. He tossed the case towards the man next to me, who caught it clumsily, and then proceeded to observe its contents.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as his grip on the ball became shaky, and his gaze turned to Ozpin.

"Where… Where did you get this ball? I kept it on my dresser like a trophy after he gave it to me… How did you get it?"

"It's quite simple really… I completed my mission."

The mystery next to me gasped at this revelation, and stumbled over inaudible words before Ozpin began to speak again.

"I retrieved the package you sent me to get, and picked this up along with it in case something like this happened. I was aware this served as a bridge between you two, and brought it here for that purpose. Here, show it to her."

He passed the ball to me, his hands still shaking, his eyes gazing blankly out the window. In my hand, I examined the ball. It was fresh, likely sealed moments after the thing was signed. I looked carefully at the signature attempting to discern the name written in it. After some time, I managed to decode the swooping letters and figure out their meaning:

Cliff Lee #33 To: Larry

The ball dropped immediately from my hands, as they went limp next to me, and I turned my whole body to face the man next to me, with new meaning in my mind, and a new wave of disbelief building in my throat.

"No… Fucking… Way…"

"Way. May I introduce Mr. Lawrence Cortes. If, I am not mistaken, your father in the flesh."

I dropped to my knees next to him, and looked at him with our eyes meeting on equal levels. I looked deeper, and found the diminished soul of a man tormented by his past. The past we shared. I looked at his face, and saw the familiar markings and wrinkles, alongside some new ones, that I had looked upon all my life.

"Scott… Holy shit… this, is you? My little man?"

He reached out his hand, coming to my face, and resting upon my cheek. I moved my own to meet his, feeling the flesh I had once felt gone cold. It was eerie; to feel a hand you had last felt on a dead man, once again living. But nonetheless, I welcomed it with a waterfall of emotions seeping from my eyes.

"Hey there papa bear, long time no see…"

He quickly vacated his wheelchair, and came to kneel in front of me, as I did him. He once again looked into my eyes, and saw the same resonance I had seen in him, I could guess.

"Scott…You… are here…it really worked…"

"Shhh. It's alright, I _am_ here. Now, you aren't alone anymore. Now, you won't ever leave me again…"

After this, words were futile. The only thing that mattered was feeling the shoulders of my father alongside my arms. He met my embrace, and we relished the near impossible reunion with the most bitter of tears I could imagine. Long had we been separate, knowing the realities of our lives, and accepting them. But now, we meet again, a true testament to the sheer falseness of those realities.

Now, we savored in the moment. Now, we held dear and near, our True Realities.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry for such a long wait in between chapters guys, I had some MAJOR writers block, and my school's marking period ended recently, so I have been busy. I hope this meets the standards of what I have been putting out before. If you see ad flagrant errors or want to tell me something, review and I;ll answer you in the next chapter.<strong>_

_**Cheers Mates!**_


	5. Chapter 4

"You… look a little different than I remember. The ladies must have had some influence on you while I was gone."

It wasn't until a short while ago that we had finally pried each other from their embrace, but the tenderness from the moment had still lingered. I now sat next to Dad in the chair in front of Ozpin's desk, and its owner having sat back down as well. Dad was once again propped in his wheelchair.

"Well, sure they did. I learned a lot from them while you were gone, but this" I gestured to myself, "was an entirely different story. Some scientific bullcrap about Aura and space/time and things I don't feel like getting into comletely. I'll be more than happy to talk about the rest, though."

"Please, do. I'm a little eager to hear how my son became… well, my daughter."

He looked both curious and uncomfortable at the same time, the uneasiness of the topic showing in his eyes.

"Well, one night, on New Years' to be exact, Ozpin paid me a little visit at home. Of course, I had no idea who he was and nearly tried to bash his skull in with a little hand axe."

Dad looked at me cock eyed, surprised at my bold actions.

"Hey, don't look at me! He's the one who decided to break in and expect me to be understanding about the whole thing!"

"I will admit, my entry plan was a bit flawed, but it was simply a means to an end, mind you."

"Okay, whatever, anyways, he explains himself, and we talk for a while. He tells me you're alive, and I go ballistic on him. He pulls me back to reality, and he gives me an offer to come back here with him. And, well, you can tell what choice I made."

"I figured that much. I was the one who sent him there, after all. However, he neglected to tell me he had set out and succeeded until now. Kept quite a secret from he, he did."

Dad cast Ozpin a dirty look, who simply continued to stare at the two of us in a kind of childish glee.

"Well, that's where things got interesting. Since I didn't have an aura at the time, I was prone to attacks by some kind of… well; I guess radiation or something, on the way here. When we plopped in, we nearly blew up some poor team's dorm. I didn't really change at all until I went unconscious after we arrived."

Dad heaved a great sigh, and looked towards me.

"So, I've finally been beaten out, eh? The females have finally dominated me, and even my son has joined them. It is a sad day for the Cortes name indeed…."

I saw a single tear come out of his right eye, and it tore into my soul.

"Hey, it's not like I'm crazy about guys now. In here, I'm still the same kid. All that's changed is the exterior."

I tapped my head a few times to emphasize the point, and he seemed to chuckle a little at this.

"Ah, well, I guess you're right. And, for the record, as your father my job is still to help you get a girlfriend, by that standard. Either way, as you said, you still are my little man on the inside. Little side note on that front; you are quite the looker m'boy. If I wasn't able to tell you were my son in there, I would've mistaken you for some wolf goddess!"

"Speaking of insides, how have yours been? You _did_ have a massive aneurism before you died."

There was a slight pause before he responded, and the solemnity of his tone replaced the jubilant sarcasm entirely.

"So, it's true then. When I woke up here, I really?..."

I nodded, confirming his inquiry.

"I see. I had hoped that Ozpin's guess was only that; a guess. I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you all that time ago. It was so sudden I barely had time to tell your mother I loved her before I blacked out. I was…mentally confused and weak for a long time after that. When I finally cleared my head, I was in the middle of a forest, and more scared than I've ever been. I felt stable, so I wandered around in that forest for what felt like two days, all the while getting chased by Beowolves and beat up by the forest in general. Eventually, I saw a tower off in the distance, and started running towards it. I ran, and ran, and ran, but it never seemed to get any closer. I was starting to lose hope when the sun started setting, and the tower still looked a good ways off. I came into a clearing, and saw a giant cliff barring my path, next to some kind of old ruins. I sank into despair, laid down in front of the cliff, and prepared to die at the hands of the ravenous beasts on my tail. I accepted my end, and simply closed my eyes, for the last time, I told myself."

He looked as if the memories were taking shape in front of him, the details coming so vividly before his eyes, beyond what his mind could form into words. It tore my soul to pieces to see him suffering all over again, but it brought some clarity to his situation, so I allowed him to press on with his tale.

"But, something unexpected happened; I opened my eyes again, when I didn't hear anything happening. I thought maybe the savages were fucking with me, but instead of death and black fur I saw annoyingly green man in front of me. The Beowolves were nowhere to be seen, and the man turned around to face me. He stared at me for a while, but for how long I couldn't tell. I passed out not long after that, and drifted in and out of sanity for a good while.

The next time I awoke, I was in a hospital room, hooked up to every which machine I could imagine, and surrounded by hazmat suits."

Ozpin looked up at us, and took another sip of coffee, eyeing is hardly.

"Allow me to continue from there. If I remember correctly, you didn't give us a logical answer for another week after that."

Dad nodded in agreement, and sank back into his chair again, seemingly recovering from his trip down nightmare lane.

"When we had found your father, I knew something was amiss because of the Aura readings coming from his body. His levels were higher than any I had ever seen. I believed him to be in some state of radioactivity, and had him quarantined. That can attest to the scene that he saw when he awoke the first time.

Over the course of the following months, we ascertained whatever we could form both him and his body. He told us his story, and we told him ours.

In the end, we learned something revolutionary.

Your father is the first of many things for our world. For starters, he has the best internal health I have ever seen in a man of his age. Do not be fooled by his exterior, he is in as good health as he was when he was twenty years old, it is truly astonishing. His bone mass, muscle structure, and internal vitality are all decades above the norm for him. Personally, I attribute it to his transport here, as his genes were likely altered, revitalizing his body."

"Well, as much as I love to hear how my Dad is in better condition than he left us is, I still have no idea how he has a metal hand OR how he ended up in a wheelchair. Both of these stories would be truly _enlightening_, wouldn't you agree dearest father of mine?"

Dad leaned away in his chair, placing a mock look of fear on his face, rolling along with the mood I had set up.

"Yes dear, I think it would be truly _wonderful_. Oh Ozpin, darling, lets tell him shall we?"

"It now occurs to me where she gets her cynical sarcasm from… Well, like father like son… daughter… you know what I mean."

I shared a small chuckle with the youthful elder next to me, and waited for the next story to begin. Ozpin took yet another sip and looked at us once again.

"To be honest, I haven't even told your father why he is in wheelchair yet, so this may be news for both of you."

He rummaged through his desk until he found a stack of papers, and read off some of the contents, generalized by his own whim.

"When we examined your body, we did a full diagnostic scan on your neural system as well. In our readings, we noticed peculiarities in the signals going to your legs and right hand. When we attempted to stimulate them with electricity, they elicited no response. Also, any and all stimuli we tried to use had a similar result. We had told you such when you first awoke, but we neglected to say what had happened to your legs."

"Wait, so he has a metal hand because he was _paralyzed_?!"

"Old news dear. I've had this baby for two years, and its stickin' with me till the end now. Was hard enough getting used to using it and not feeling it. Same way with the legs really."

Hold on, why the legs?

"Wait a minute, I thought you were paralyzed, how were you walking?"

He put on a childish smile, and stood up once again, but this time was different from before. Instead of swooping low like he did when we reunited, he stood erect in front of Ozpin's desk, and turned towards me.

He lifted the legs of his trousers up, to reveal the same chrome finish that adorned his hand. His feet were modeled into shoes, eliminating the need to wear footwear. The metal was sculpted masterfully, running up his legs and ending where his knee would have been. There, it fused beautifully into his flesh, slowly transitioning back to the color of flesh like an industrial rainbow spectrum.

"Sure, I can go on a walk every now and again, but I don't really care for it. It doesn't feel natural to be moving around and walk without feeling your legs and feet move. Most of the time I stick to the chair. Besides, people don't exactly try to argue if you should go on a plane first if you have a chair with you."

I nodded slightly, and meditated on this for a moment. Really? The man who spent more time per day walking around than sleeping in a wheel chair? I found it hard to believe, and a little unfair.

"Now, I know what you're thinking, and please don't. Don't for a minute feel sorry for me or think this is some kind of cruel trick. I've been moving around all my life, and sure, while it is nice to get up and move around for a while every now and then, I think I'll stay seated for a while. I might be healthy, but that doesn't stop me from being tired as all get-out."

"Tell me one thing," I asked him. "If, perchance, I managed to find a good, non-Grimm infested hike somewhere, you would still go with me, right?"

His eyes glazed over for a millisecond, likely subconsciously recalling the years he spent exploring the wilderness.

"For you, I'd even go on a walk through Forever Fall, unarmed. And, as an answer, yes, I would love to."

I smiled gleefully, and my mind began to wander to what it would be like to wander through nature with Dad at my side again. For years he took me on his excursions through town and out into the wild. It was a new day every time we went out, and every time we went on vacation, there just happened to be a good hike somewhere. I was quite familiar with mountains from being with him on his adventures, and those hikes were some of the best memories of my life.

My mental wandering was cut short when Ozpin loudly coughed to pull me out of my inner thoughts, pulling the conversation, and our attention, back onto him.

"Well, now that this is all taken care of, there is something I needed to go over with you, something that will ultimately define your life here in Remnant. I, of course, mean your next step."

"Right, I had a feeling that would weave its way into the conversation somehow. So, whatcha' got for me, o' magical green wizard?"

"Show some respect! Just because you know him doesn't mean it's an all-out pass to give him nicknames! He's the most celebrated man for miles around and you call him the 'magical green wizard'? I taught you better!"

Ozpin put up a hand to stop him, and assumed a more clam voice than his usually stoic demeanor.

"Easy there, Lawrence. I do not mind it, so there is no reason to chastise her for it. I realize you have two years of parenting to make up for, but I would dial the nob back a few ticks, at least for the time being."

Ozpin shot me a playful wink, and took more drinks of his beverage. He then re-shuffled his papers, and began anew.

"As of this moment, certain aspects of your life will be decided, being as how you have just entered a completely new world with no record or evidence of existence being present. As such, the Council has granted me access to draft you a set of official documents, which will in turn be uploaded to your scroll, and used to create a World Network profile for you. Right now, we must fill out your information as it is deemed fitting by you and your Father."

He placed a stack of paper on his desk, and procured a fountain pen. He then turned the materials towards us, and beckoned for us to retrieve them.

"No that you are here; it is time the world knew it as well."

* * *

><p>Name: Rika Clarence Eyes: Gold<p>

Age: 17 Hair: Grey

Sex: Female Date of Birth: 26 Dec. 1997

Nationality: Atlas Race: Faunus

And just like that my life was essentially drafted before my eyes. I had to fabricate many things, such as my date of birth and nationality, but Ozpin never really stressed these factors. He made it sound more like making a new character in a video game than writing my life story, but in the end that was what it became. From what I knew, Atlas seemed like a pretty nice place, and it would account for my previous absence from Beacon. If I had been from Vale, or somewhere near, I might have been called a fraud, on account of never being seen. Ozpin was nice enough to take my picture then and there, sparing me the experience of having to go to a government kiosk.

Most of my medical information was already present on the sheet, likely due to my stay in the hospital.

When I finished, I had a feeling of sincerity coursing through my veins. I didn't feel like some kind of invading alien anymore, but simply like one of the pack. It felt good to have legitimacy, and felt even better knowing that now I would have a story to tell people when they asked me where I was from.

With one final swipe of his scroll, Ozpin finalized my form's entry, and uploaded an identical copy t my scroll's internal database. I had no idea the things acted in such a high capacity. No wonder the nurse was shocked I didn't know how to use a scroll; literally everyone had used one before.

Ozpin stood from his seat, and leaned towards me.

"The council has cleared your forms Rika; you are now an official denizen of Remnant. Allow me to be the first to officially say this to you,"

He walked from behind his desk to me, and beckoned for me to stand. When I did, he placed his mug on the desk, and buried me in the most enveloping, heartwarming bear hug I have ever experienced. I almost couldn't hear him speak when he did.

"Welcome home."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ok I will admit this chapter is mostly filling in the blanks and filler information. Necessary, yet boring as all hell to write, so sorry it took some time. This might be the last chapter I get out for another month or so. I have my school's musical coming up, and I need to practice for my role in the Pit Orchestra.<br>_**_**Next time we get away from the "Opening" story and get into Beacon/RWBY related events more and more often. It took a while to get here, but don't worry, we have time. **_

_**We always have time. Just keep moving forward. **_


	6. Chapter 5

Home. It was strikingly odd to think I had a new home.

Remnant really was my home now, and by extension, Beacon.

"Yep, you're here now and thank God for that. I can't tell you how great it is to see you again my dear. It feels like I have an entire family again with you here…"

Dad looked over at me in Ozpin's embrace, and smiled for the longest time I could remember him ever smiling for. Even after Ozpin let me go, he was grinning from ear to ear. After everything he had gone through until now, he deserved some happiness.

We were all pulled from the stupor of glee we had been encased in by my scroll buzzing furiously in my jacket's pocket. I pulled it out and extended it, and looked at my notifications to see what the matter was. I was receiving a call from an unknown number, but an odd symbol was shown under the number. It looked something along the lines of a jagged castle, adorned with searchlights and painted black.

"Hey, professor, you have any idea what this number is? I have no clue. Not to mention some weird symbol shows up underneath it."

I turned the scroll to the two of them, and allowed them a moment to ponder over it.

Only, they didn't need a moment. They grabbed the scroll from my hands and brought it close to themselves.

"Rika, answer this, now. Don't question it, simply do it. Trust me; you **_do not_** want to turn down the call from this number **_ever_**. Do you understand?"

I nodded nervously, and reluctantly received the scroll again. I quickly tapped the screen, and a loading logo appeared on it. After a brief moment, a picture of some kind of meeting room appeared before me.

There was a large hall, with a curved table in the middle, made of the most beautifully carved marble I had ever seen. Seated at this table were five figures, their faces shrouded in shadow, but their midsections fully revealed. There were four men and one woman, from what I could tell of their upper bodies. The one in the middle moved first, reaching below him and pulling a set of papers out from beneath the table.

"Odd. Ozpin reported bringing a male here. Why is it that these papers describe a Female, and a Faunus at that? I do believe the dear professor has been lying to us"

The clean, businesslike voice that rang out was answered by the cold, high pitched female voice next to him.

"Oh please, you dolt, he would never do such a thing. Clearly there are factors at work here we do not understand. All the more reason for this session to be called. We truly have no idea what we are dealing with here, as her father was much of the same thing."

The other three grunted in consent, with the middle voice depositing the papers underneath the desk silently, likely feeling a little deflated after his accusatory train was shut down.

The female then spoke to me again, directly addressing me.

"Now then, this Council has come to order. Before we begin, this Council has agreed that the aforementioned subject, Rika Clarence, may ask of the Council two questions. However, these questions will not be answered in any fashion that reveals the identity of its members, or the operations of its faculty. Is that made clear, Miss Clarence?"

"I... I guess so. May I begin?"

"Of course, whenever you are ready."

"Alright, number one; I wish to know what exactly this 'Council' is, in regards to Remnant. I mean, I only just found out about you twenty minutes ago, so I am a bit stunned my presence is so quickly acknowledged."

The man on the right end answered first, in a deep, gruff tone.

"Before you is the Council of Remnant, a collection of the five most powerful, influential, intelligent, and wealthy persons on the planet. Our purpose is to act as the heads of the land, and serve as the hand in the shadows that guides the world. We only reveal ourselves to those we deem dangerous enough to threaten our existence, honored enough to warrant our praise, or powerful enough to be one of our five members. However, the Council also acts in an informative fashion to the governments of Remnant through various connections within said governments, for the sake of their betterment. Be forewarned; the words you choose here fall on the ears of the single most powerful organization on the planet. Do not pick fights here."

So basically, the UN of Remnant decided to give my personal scroll a call. Great, just what I need; politicians and businessmen in my phone book. However, I needed to be careful. It wouldn't be worth making enemies here, especially enemies that could influence the entire world.

"Alright, I find that description adequate. Next question; why is it that you are now contacting me? The 'most powerful organization on the planet' just doesn't prank call some random teenager for fun. I imagine there was a rather good reason."

"Watch your tongue! Just because **_he_** is acting as your guardian doesn't give you the right to say whatever you please."

I guess playing the "Sarcastic Little Shit" card wasn't going over too well here. The belligerent one from earlier was once again taking the chance to pick a fight with me, and once again he was stopped short by his compatriot.

"Silence you fool. Forgive him, he appears be on edge for some reason. I will answer your question."

The middle entity was now whitening his knuckles in anger towards his fellow councilwoman, but I was too busy focusing on my explanations to care if he had a bone to pick with me or not.

"We have contacted you personally for two reasons. The secondary reason being that as an entity not originally from our world, we were quite curious to examine and see if there were any vital changes from the last one. I assure you your father went through the same process. While we possess all of your medical data, we did not have any visual to go off of. I will say we expected some kind of grotesque mutation, not a glistening example of teenage beauty."

I could feel myself blushing at her compliment, but remained in composure and responded with the generic "thank you".

"Yes, we are rather glad for this, as it reduces the… 'Uneasiness' of our primary need."

"May I ask what that primary reason is, Ma'am?"

There was a dark pause in between our sentences, and she seemed to rush her words, reluctant to say them for whatever reason.

"We spoke earlier of the reasons we would contact individuals. Either for honor, to dispose of a threat, or to induct a new member. Well, we believe that you and your father pose the largest single threat to the World of Remnant than any of the Grimm on this planet, to be plain. As to why, well, I'm sure that the professor has already informed you that your Aura emits an energy so powerful it could induce malignant tumors in anyone within twenty kilometers. Why this is, we cannot say, but we know that it is directly related to what you experienced coming to this world. Your father bears the same affliction. Essentially, you are a walking biological weapon, capable of massive amounts of death and the sterilization of every single living inch around you. Needless to say such a threat cannot be allowed to remain."

Hold on, stop the bullshit train.

"**_Whoa there calm the fuck down lady! What in the hell makes you think that I would even want to do that sort of thing!?"_**

The council remained silent, even the angry one, who twiddled his thumbs, likely waiting for his chance to convict me.

"Miss Clarence, take a look at yourself right now. What do you see?"

The air in the room had grown increasingly cold, causing my hairs to stand on end. When I examined myself, I was in complete shock.

My entire body was blanketed in pure darkness, with wisps of grey protruding from the cloak I unknowingly wore. I couldn't even see my clothes, it was so complete. Only my hands remained untouched. I didn't really feel anything except for the frustration over this accusation. Just that one intense bout of emotion triggered my Aura to this level. _I really was a walking bomb._

Think… What did Yang do to get this to stop?

I tried to wash away the emotions, but they stuck to me like napalm. I couldn't get rid of the feeling. I felt someone grab my shoulder, and I could feel the emotions draining. I looked behind me and saw Ozpin stoically perched behind my field of view.

"This is precisely what we mean! If you were to lose control of your Aura in public, you would sterilize an entire city center! Even now, had the professor not been present to contain your energies, you could have destroyed the entire campus of Beacon! What you are, Miss Clarence, is an abomination that needs to be culled for the safety of the World! I see no difference between you and the Grimm that school hun-"

"YOU WILL CULL YOUR TOUNGUE OR IT WILL BE CUT OUT AND THROWN INTO THE LOWEST DEPTHS OF A SCHNEE MINE. THIS COURT WILL NOT FOLLOW YOUR BRIMSTONE AND HELLFIRE CONVICTIONS, AND THAT IS FINAL! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, COUNCILMAN?"

The being on the immediate left, who had been silent until now, cried out in rage again the middle man. The rat in the middle subsequently shrunk down, obviously scared of him enough to quiet down. Afterwards, the woman continued.

"Now then, to business. You now know the full consequences of your presence here. What we will discuss next is how to appropriately deal with them. I take **_pleasure_** in notifying you that we have ruled out execution in this case, as we have with your Father. We will not be killing either one of your for something that was thrust upon you beyond your control."

Three of the other five voiced their agreement, with the lone dissenter retaining his composed silence.

"There exist three options that we deem a logical solution to your issue. While the decisions of this Council may be absolute, we may deem it necessary to alter our decision in the future. Everything decided here is mutable in the coming weeks and months, maybe even years."

"I understand. Proceed, Councilwoman."

"Very well. The first option can be considered the most harmful to your everyday life and your overall state of wellbeing. In an effort to ensure that your Aura would never pose a threat to civilization, you would be quarantined to the outer rims of the world, the barren lands that lie beyond any written map. In Remnant, the known world is bordered by fields of ice, deemed impassable by the world's shipping carriers and home to some of the most violent Grimm alive. For this reason, we send death row criminals and exiles there as a means of retribution. Your sentence would be to live out your days there, as many as you could, anyway. As we have stated previously, this option would most likely result in death and/or bloody dismemberment at the hands of Grimm and/or starvation, hypothermia, dehydration, typhoid, cancer…Well, you get the gist."

The tension was so strong in that moment you could cut it with a knife. No one wanted to interject, for fear of adding to the discomfort. Only the continuation of the speech served to end this state of limbo.

"The second option we think you would find much more enjoyable as it had a 99.99% chance of survival associated with it. You would be shipped to Atlas, and live out the life you so willingly described in your identification papers. You would be under heavy guard, of course, and certain functions of your daily life would be limited per our discretion. The area would be remote; so as to ensure a safety buffer between any large populations, but nonetheless your life would be comfortable, for the most part."

"So, what's the glorious final option, pray tell?"

The Council paused oddly, seemingly unknowing of how to tell me the next set of information. Kind of like a kid asking out his first date.

"Well, this one is the most recent to come to the discussion table, and is not even of our origin. While we were unsure as to its validity, as well as the risk of placing you within a large population of people, the option's originator has ensured us that no problems would occur under his supervision. He has never given us reason to doubt, so we put a bit of trust in his corner. Essentially, you would become a full time student under the care of Professor Ozpin. He would have you pursue a career as a Huntress under his personal guidance, and that of some of the school's handpicked elite. Here, instead of hampering your power, you would learn to wield it in a fashion which would benefit the world greatly. Ozpin would believe that your power could be of great use in the future, and would not see it wasted. While we would normally discourage someone without even a lick of combat experience or schooling from attending Beacon, we have also received assurances that you would be able to handle the rigorous training regimen. So now, we ask you this.

Would you be able to keep up witch such a life? Being the one who drives back the darkness instead of adding to it?

Would you better yourself for the sake of bettering your fellow denizen?"

"I…I…Uh…I, suppose I would, madam."

"Well thank God, because you really didn't have much of a choice, now did you? I mean, come one, what kind of imbecile would turn down something like that for a calm, coy life in some Atlan village, or the desolate wastes? Quite an easy decision, if you ask me."

She then pulled out her own personal scroll, and an image of Ozpin appeared on my screen next to the video feed.

"Professor, do you have everything you need?"

"I am quite satisfied madam, and I thank you for your understanding in the matter. Seeing the potential of a possible student wasted in the desolation of the ice is something I would never forgive. I understand that you will forward the documents regarding her keeping momentarily?"

"Of course." She then turned back to me and dismissed Ozpin's image.

"There will be certain guidelines by which you will live by, similar to that of the second option, but hopefully, in time, you will have learned enough to prove to us that you will no longer pose a threat to this world. Until that day comes, we will be watching, Miss Clarence. Never forget, we are the eyes and ears of the world.

**_Veritatem venit lux a tenebris_**

Until we meet again, this Council of Remnant will be closed to all further discussion regarding the circumstances of Rika Clarence.

Gentlemen, meeting adjourned."

And with that, my video feed cut, and I was left groping the air for something to lean on and a swirling head.

"Why is it that every time someone comes to talk to me they have some kind of world shattering revelation to settle with me? Can't anyone just, y'know, walk up and start talking about the weather or something? Would be a nice change of pace form the last week…"

"… Nice weather we're having eh?"

"No, it's been snowing all day and I'm cold as all hell and now I'm just more tied and I swear to God if you do that again I will throw you out the window from where you are sitting."

Dad sat back in his seat, slightly satisfied with himself and slightly disgusted that he could make fun of his daughter while she was obviously conflicted and confused. I didn't blame him though, I knew I was a bit of an asshole when I got annoyed, and I knew I often sprayed out vicious discourse in every which way.

With that same vicious air, I marched over to Ozpin, who was now looking out the window from the balcony, staring intently into the distance. I head the glass pane slide behind me, forming an odd barrier between us and Dad. It seemed that Ozpin wanted a private chat. But, I didn't have it in me to begin yelling at him. The serene calm that he created while he was standing out in the snow was toxic, as I soon forgot about my frustrations and spoke softly to him.

"I know what you did. I know you unlocked my Aura while I was unconscious. Also, you have my thanks for not telling me I was a walking Bio-Bomb. I think I would have done something rash had I figured that out sooner."

He remained silent, almost unknowing of my presence.

"I'm also aware that you set up the meeting with the Council before I even walked into this tower. If they really are what they claim to be, they wouldn't call a meeting together willy-nilly like that. I would need some kind of advance notice. The fact that they already had my papers with them didn't help your secrecy either."

"My dear, everything you have just explained to me is everything I _wanted _you to figure out. That is, as much as I expected you to, at least. Had you peeked a little bit further into the nature of the council as well, you would have found them to be a little bit closer to home than you imagined."

"Well, the one in the middle definitely had a bone to pick with me, and seemed to be especially angered by the fact that I was a Faunus. He spoke like a man convicting somebody, a prosecutor. Then the one next to him shut him down at every turn, acting like my advocate. Honestly, the whole thing stunk of similarity to a courtroom."

"That's because it _is_ a courtroom. Every member of that council acts in a manner befitting its legal role. You have explained to me the Prosecution and the Defense. The man who voiced his distaste for the prosecution's motives was undoubtedly the Judge, the presiding ruler only expressing himself to control the flow of the meeting. The remaining two, who were largely unvoiced, were the acting security guards, capable of carrying out the Council's will, but also able to help dispute it. It might not be the most effective setup for an all-powerful organization, but it works better than you'd imagine. They have settled disputes between nations, races, and more from the shadows since the dawn of civilization. One could compare them to your nation's Supreme Court. However, the prosecutor tends to allow his personal vendettas to bleed into his professional life. As such, the rest of the council has grown weary of his petty quarrels with those he believes to be inferior. The defense usually keeps him in check, so I doubt you need to worry about him too much."

"So, we have two lawyers, a Senator, and two Military men. Easy enough to follow. However, you still have yet to acknowledge my discontent with your actions. Why did you unlock my Aura, when you knew it would manifest in such an uncontrolled manner?"

For the first time since I stepped onto the balcony, he looked me in the eyes and spoke.

"I did it because even though I hardly know anything about what kind of person you really are outside of what _he_ tells me, I trust you. You forget too easily that above all I am a teacher, and a teacher has the innate ability to recognize greatness in his students. He knows when someone he crosses paths with would benefit from instruction, and go on to gain an advantage from said instruction. I activated your Aura because I knew that even if you never even learned to wield a blade, after four years at this school you could blast me into oblivion from ten miles away. The pure power that radiates from your Aura has the potential to do great things, and I would not see that potential wasted on some 'village in Atlas' as the Council would have. Yes, I asked the Council to allow me to be your Guardian because I knew that one day you would go on to free mankind from the darkness which now envelops it. Rika, I want you to be my student not for some convoluted conspiracy, but for the simple betterment of the world, as the Council said."

Such a verbose response made me hesitate, but ultimately I knew he was truthful in what he was saying. It all made sense with what he stood for, with what he was. However, it was the finer details of the agreement that bothered me the most.

"They said there would be restrictions. What exactly would they be?"

"What your father is currently subjected to. Your hours of operation would limit to between 6 AM and 12 PM. You wouldn't be allowed to leave campus without the escort of a qualified official or myself. While on campus, you would be monitored both by staff and by technological implants within your wrist. For sake of ease, I have opted to simply give you a wristlet to keep on you. It would transmit biological and physiological data to the medical staff daily, ensuring your physical health and mental stability to prevent a meltdown. Besides that, your life would ultimately be up to you to live, with no direct contact from any kind of guard unless you actively disregard your limitations. You would be free to live as any other student would here."

"While it may not be the most convenient of deals, I suppose going to a school like this for free wouldn't be so bad, I mean I've always wanted to learn how to fight, but like this, well, it's kind of like a dream come true in a way."

Ozpin scoffed at my response, and began laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny? Is it wrong to have an odd interest or something?"

"No, it's funny that you thought you would go to school for free, that's bloody brilliant indeed!"

Oh… Right.

"I-I don't have any money, how do you expect me to be able to pay for a school like Beacon? Unless I am mistaken this school would cost a pretty penny if it were back home."

"Oh you have no Idea. Let's just say people have been known to sell their homes to send a child to Beacon. But, I doubt you will have that problem, seeing as for the next few years you home will be right here."

"Ok, then let's get to the point here, how am I going to be paying for my school, since I have nowhere to go and nothing really to offer."

"That, my dear Rika, is incorrect. You have something that many would pay millions of Lien to attain; the mind of a Professor. The way you analyze a situation and attain key facts, deconstruct information, and process your emotions is beyond your years. That, I believe, is worth more than twenty years here at Beacon in Lien. So, I want you to do exactly what you do naturally. I want to be a Professor here at beacon in your off time."

"… Ozpin honey you have you be shitting me."

"Not in the slightest. You have until the end of the winter vacation to determine your subject material, your course plans, and your student guidelines. Beyond that, the class will be entirely in your care for the remainder of the year. Your performance will be assessed at the end of the year during exams, and we will decide further action from there."

"WOAH THERE TIME OUT!"

….

"Well, I'm waiting. This time out has been quite long don't you think?"

…

"Okay, let me get my head around all of this. I was recently contacted by the most powerful organization on the planet, and told that from today forward I am to be a student at Beacon academy, and with no combat training whatsoever I will learn to be a Huntress beside men and women that have spent their entire lives to get where I got in about two weeks. Not only that, but I will also be a professor, teaching the people I go to classes with whenever I get a spare moment in my free time to pay for tuition do I have all of that correct!?"

"I'd say so. Oh, and one final thing! You will be bunking with team RWBY. They will serve as your de-facto teammates and teachers, and you will be the team's 'intern' of sorts in exchange. They will be more than willing to oblige, I believe. And, should they refuse, I'm sure a little bit of extra credit will be more than enough to coax them into helping. I will instruct Yang to get you comfortable in the dorms tonight before the team return with the rest of the student body after break. Well, I do believe you have been asked enough for one day. You are dismissed as of now, I suggest you get some rest. I will send the documentation for your classes tomorrow, as well as your student uniform. For your instruction periods, you may dress however you please, but please be within reason, if I may ask."

"Whoa there Professor, don't you think you are kind of rushing this a little bit? I'm not even sure I got all of that completely!"

He opened the glass and stepped through again, beckoning me forward.

"You don't need to. What you need to 'get' is that you are now my student, and I can tell you to do whatever I want. As such, I am telling you politely to get out largely because I need to use the restroom and partly because I tire of droning on like this. Now, if you would be so kind, I will have Glynda call the elevator, you and Lawrence may leave now. I will be in touch."

He seemed to be ushering me towards the door, and Goodwitch soon after opened it, standing aside while Ozpin pushed me and my father out of the room. The door slammed behind us, and I heard Ozpin running off in another direction, probably towards his bathroom. That left us sitting there bewildered and confused, not sure whether to leave or wait for him to come back and give a more detailed explanation.

"Geez, he seemed a bit rushed, don't you think?"

"Never misunderstand a man in need of a piss. He says strange things, as you know too well. Besides, Ozpin might be vague, but in the time I've known him, he hasn't kept many secrets from me, and I doubt he would keep any from you. For some reason he thinks you to be someone worth investing in, so he will do his best to keep you both safe and well informed. I can nearly guarantee you that."

From what I had seen of Ozpin, he was usually very open with students when it came to rather confidential information; at least to the students he believed could handle themselves. If he really thought of me in that way, who was I to complain? It was better to be thought a genius like that than to open my mouth and prove otherwise; for a while at least.

"Well, aside from being kicked out for Ozpin's pee break, what else did he tell you? I couldn't really gather much, since neither of you really did anything but talk while you were out there."

"Well, for starters, he went off on a shpeal about me being the best student he has ever seen, and rounded it off by declaring me a professor here to pay for my tuition fees, to summarize all of that talking."

My dad was caught somewhere between laughter and stroke for a good while after that. I couldn't tell whether it was positive or negative, but it was positively disturbing to watch. After a while, I simply grabbed onto his wheelchair and guided him into the elevator. I pushed the button and initiated our descent, while attempting to calm Dad down a little.

"Boy, he's really gone off the deep end if he thinks you be a student and a teacher at the same time. If I remember correctly, you could barely handle studying for a test without stressing out about it."

I shook my head. "Things have changed a lot in two years. Sure, my grades went down a little, but I've stopped worrying so much about school. I started doing other things instead of homework, and I rather enjoyed not having to work 24/7."

"So what you're saying is you would be able to handle it?"

"It will take some dedicated studying and time management, but yes, I will be able to handle it. I refuse to let this chance go, and something like homework will be a minor obstacle. And, on the bright side, I get to boss around my friends when they come to my class! Good opportunity to get some leverage, if I say so."

"Don't get labeled a bitch in the meantime. No one wants to be friends with someone who will give them extra homework if they cross them."

"Aye, Aye, I hear 'ya. It's not like it's a dictatorship, anyways. I think I'm gonna pick a subject more on the elective side, not academic entirely but still rather educational."

The door opened, and we strolled (and rolled) out of the cabin. I paused at the door and remembered that I had to call Yang when I was finished with the meeting.

"Well, as much as I'd love to keep on going with you, I'm afraid I have a bio scan to go to. Can't be late again or they might sent a squad to wipe me out or something. Take care love, I'll see you tomorrow, and you can tell me everything that's happened while I was gone over lunch, my treat. Meet me in the Mess Hall around noon, and I'll be waiting. Come 'ere, give your old man a hug, before I go."

I smiled, kneeled down, and met his arms for a moment or two, keen on refreshing my memory of his scent before I let go. It had been a long time since I felt him in the flesh, and I needed to rebuild my sensory memory in case he was ever taken from me again. I was scared of forgetting him more than anything else, and I was keen on ensuring I never would.

"Take it easy papa bear; I'll see you tomorrow, like you said. Don't go leaving on me now that I just got here, got it?"

He began to accelerate towards the door, and looked back on his way out.

"I can assure you, I will never break another promise again. I will not cause you the same pain I did all that time ago. I will never, ever, cause that kind of bitter sadness again, I swear it."

Saying no more, he proceeded out the door, maintaining his learned poker face, almost looking like he was ready for a business meeting.

After he was gone from sight, I pulled out my scroll and dialed in Yang's number. The tone rang for a few beats, but nothing responded to my call. It was quite convenient that she happened to walk in the door as soon as I hung up.

"Hey there stranger! How'd it go? Any exciting stories to share?"

"Maybe later, right now I just want to go lie down somewhere. The past hour has been quite exciting, and I'm feeling exhausted."

"Hey, no worries, I got you covered. El Casa del RWBY is open to you from today onwards, according to our dear headmaster! And I heard you got accepted into Beacon! Congrats, especially since you, y'know never really fought anyone before. Doing that is kind of a big deal. Weiss is going to have a fit when she hears about that."

"Yeah, she will, especially when she hears about everything else. But, that conversation I for another day. For now, I just want to rest. By the way, where is Ruby?"

"Oh, she's waiting outside. I told her I'd be a minute. So, you ready to go meet your new home?"

Home, that word again. That thing that has been redefined for me so rapidly over the last week. The thing that, even though everything is different, feels so refreshing and new. That special thing I have rediscovered.

"Yeah… I am. Let's go."

"By the way, you see that old coot rolling out a minute ago? He looked pretty beaten down. I've seen him around before, but I never can figure out who he was. You know him?"

"Yeah, pretty well actually. That 'old coot' is my Dad."

* * *

><p>"WHAT?! HOW CAN THER BE NO SUCH THING AS MECHA SHIFTS WHERE YOU COME FROM? HOW ON REMNANT DOES ANYTHING GET MADE THERE?!"\<p>

Ruby's generally astonished tone echoed through the dorm hallways as we approached the room. I had been busy explaining to the red haired ball of energy after our speedy introduction that there weren't weapons like theirs on Earth, and people had to choose between a blade or a gun, not being able to combine them.

"Honestly, does nobody in your world have a brain? Using mecha shifts to combine blades and guns is elementary. I was making gun-blades on my own when I was ten!"

Yang chose to finally mediate the conversation. "Well, not everyone has the mind of a master engineer either, Rubes. It might be easy for you, but we mechanically disinclined people simply can't follow you when you go off about sprockets and gears."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make! What I was saying is that Rika here has never gotten to experience a true weapon! Oh, I am SO designing you a proper Grimm-Killer. Tomorrow, we are gonna sit down and have a LOOOOOOONG chat about your weapon preferences. You hear me?"

"Yeah, Yeah, I got it. Hey Yang, how much further until I get to crash? I'm burning out really fast here."

"Not long, considering we just arrived!" She handed me a keycard, and presented the door in a Vanna White fashion.

"Go ahead; open the door to your new room!"

I swiped the key, and pushed, similarly to a hotel room. The room itself was rather large for a student dorm, comprising as much space as my home's upper floor. It was spacious, but most of the items in the room were gathered around the window, save for a few desks and bookshelves. Instead of the bookshelf in front of the window that I remembered, however, there was a fifth bed placed between two sets of bunk beds, hastily constructed and poorly assembled, but surprisingly sturdy, upon examination.

"You guys, you didn't have to upheave your room's setup just for me. Having a bed off in the corner wouldn't have been all that big of a deal."

"Nope! So long as you live and breathe with Team RWBY, you are one of us, and that mean you sleep with us too! What kind of mentors would we be if we shunned the newbie to the corner?"

Ruby stepped forward, and executed her "leader stance" with her hands on her hips, looking triumphant. Somehow, her cape was flapping softly, despite the lack of a breeze in the room.

"Aww, Ruby, that's very kind of you. I'm also supposed that you got this assembled so quickly. I mean, I just got accepted an hour ago, and you were at the training fields, weren't you?"

"Well, Ozpin kind of told us that you were coming a week ago, so it has been like this for a while now, especially since we had to get the rugs replaced."

"Wait, why did yo-… Oh, right. Eh, sorry about that again. I know I kind of, blew up your room…"

"Hey, no harm done. If anything, we would blame Ozpin, not you. Besides, the rug was old anyway, it needed to get replaced."

I looked around the room one more time, in a full 360 motion, until my eyes finally grew heavy upon returning my gaze to the soft bed before me. It did look quite comfortable and clean, almost begging me to drop dead onto it.

"Well, now that we have all of this settled, I do think it's time for me to get some shuteye. Good night guys."

With that simple closure, I flopped onto the top of the bed, still with my boots on, not even bothering to draw the covers. I was passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I barely even heard the blissfully unaware comment from Ruby pass by my ears before I lost my senses.

"Gee, you would think she just had a lunch date with a dead guy or something. She looks beat."

You really have no idea…

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wow, this chapter has been in the making for a long time, eh? I had a lot of details to smooth out, so it took a while, sorry mates. Anyway, next chapter officially begins Rika's new life at Beacon. And, for the record, I know a lot of people have been doing Monty Oum memorials in their Author notes or whatever, but that feels too superficial. He would have wanted us to make something creative to remember him, so that is what I intend to do. I will make his memorial into art with my keyboard, a shining example of his motto; 'Keep Moving Forward'. I know Monty has touched my creative side in more ways than one, so will make it known the extent to which he inspired me to make this.<strong>_

_**And so, I bid good day**_

_**From the desk of Professor Rika Clarence, with love**_


End file.
